Web Wise: Demystifying the ASA Shop Locator

I am questioned quite frequently about ASA’s online Shop Locator, and perhaps it’s time to address the subject here for everyone’s benefit.

Located on ASA’s home page, the Shop Locator is actually a third-party application that allows visitors – namely, consumers who visit ASA for information – to find an ASA member shop near their location. The application is built and managed by Mapquest, and when data is input on our Web site, the application sends a query out to Mapquest’s servers. It then pulls back a map and a listing populated with member shops. Our member database is updated weekly with Mapquest to provide the most current information.

The best results come back when a user inputs very specific address information: street address, city, state and ZIP code. Visitors are encouraged to give as specific an address as they can when searching. But what happens if someone doesn’t input a specific address? What if someone just enters in a city ... or just a ZIP code ... or just a state?

Mapquest’s database searches from whatever area is specified to the outside of the radius circle and provides a random listing. In other words, if someone enters in only a city, the search includes the entire city (to its borders) plus the additional miles around it specified in the radius circle. Then it retrieves matching data. As a precautionary measure to protect the ASA member list, the query results list is limited to one page.

Depending on the size of the area input and our membership base in that region, hundreds of results could initially be found, from which Mapquest then randomly selects the shops that will appear on the results page.

The Basic listing on ASA’s Shop Locator is a free service to all members. We also offer an Enhanced listing service that includes additional business information, such as year the business was established, shop hours, specific services, payment options and shop certifications and affiliations. The annual subscription to upgrade is $60, and you can order your Enhanced listing online at www.ASAshop.org/shop/upgrade.htm.

Do you have a question about ASA’s online features? Send it to me at angiek@ASAshop.org. Perhaps your question will appear in a future column!