The retail marketer’s guide to mobility data vs. location data

Key takeaways

Mobility data can show full consumer journeys, while location data captures only isolated points.
High frequency mobility signals can offer far deeper behavioral insight than low frequency location pings.
Mobility data can fill major gaps in intent, routines, and attribution left by location-only approaches.
Relying solely on location data can lead to missed moments, inaccurate attribution, and wasted ad spend.
Mobility data can enable more precise segmentation and smarter, movement based targeting.
Movement-aware campaigns can reach consumers at the right place and time for greater impact.
Real-world results show mobility-driven targeting can increase visits and reach net new customers.
Mobility data can deliver more accurate measurement and stronger ROI through true movement-based attribution.

Introduction

In today’s data-driven marketing landscape, understanding where your customers are is no longer enough. To truly reach and influence modern consumers, brands must understand how, when, and why people move, not just where they stop.

This is where the distinction between location data and mobility data becomes critical. While both are valuable, mobility data can offer a richer and often more actionable view of consumer behavior, unlocking new opportunities for marketers to drive results.

Location data versus mobility data: What’s the difference?

Location data is a snapshot: It tells you where a device (and, by proxy, a person) is at a given moment. This data is typically collected through mobile apps, Wi-Fi, or GPS pings, and is often used to infer visits to specific places, such as a retail store or restaurant. Most location data providers collect a few pings per device per day, sometimes as few as 3 – 4, leaving significant gaps in the consumer journey.

Mobility data, on the other hand, is more like a movie: It captures the full journey, showing not just where someone is, but how they got there, where they came from, where they go next, and how often they travel on those routes. Mobility data is collected at a much higher frequency — every 1–15 seconds during a trip, resulting in up to 300 signals per person per day. This continuous stream of data reveals patterns, routines, and intent, providing a dynamic, real-world view of consumer movement.

Key differences:

Signal frequency: Mobility data pings every 1–15 seconds; location data pings every 15 minutes or less.
Journey context: Mobility data can show full trips, routes, and routines; location data shows isolated points.
Scale and coverage: Mobility data covers all types of roads and commercial areas, not just arterial routes or static locations.
Data quality: Mobility data is often first-party, purpose-built, and privacy-first; location data can be modeled, inferred, or aggregated from multiple sources.

Why mobility data is more powerful and effective for marketers

Mobility data’s power lies in its ability to fill in the blanks left by traditional location data. With high-frequency, first-party signals, retail marketers can:

See the complete customer journey: Understand not just store visits, but the paths, routines, and behaviors that lead to those visits.
Predict intent: Identify when someone is likely to stop, pass by, or be in-market for a product or service — before they arrive.
Target with precision: Reach consumers based on real-world movement, such as frequent passersby, commuters, or those who visit competitors.
Measure true impact: Attribute marketing spend to actual movement and visits, not just digital impressions or clicks.

For example, Arity’s mobility data platform collects over a billion miles of driver data every day, with 50 million direct connections to U.S. drivers. This scale and granularity enable marketers to reach the right audience at the right time, with messaging tailored to their actual movement patterns.

What brands miss by relying only on location data

Brands that rely solely on location data may miss critical insights:

Missed moments: With only a few daily pings, location data can miss short stops, drive-bys, or routine trips that signal intent.
Incomplete attribution: Brands can’t accurately measure how ads influence real-world behavior if they only see static points.
Wasted spend: Without understanding movement, marketers may target the wrong audience or miss high-value consumers who are frequently nearby but never stop.
Limited personalization: Location data can’t reveal the “why” behind visits, making it harder to deliver relevant, timely offers.

Mobility data can fill these gaps for retail marketers by providing a continuous, contextual view of consumer movement. Brands can identify not just who visited, but who passed by, who is a loyal customer, who is a competitor’s customer, and who is likely to convert with the right message.

How marketers can use mobility data for better targeting

Mobility data can empower marketers to:

Understand audience movement: Map where customers live, work, and travel throughout the day, revealing routines and high-value moments.
Segment with precision: Build custom audiences based on driving patterns, such as frequent passersby, commuters, or errand-runners.
Activate targeted campaigns: Deliver ads when and where they matter most—during commutes, near stores, or along frequent routes.
Optimize and measure: Use real-world movement and visitation data to optimize campaigns in real time and close the loop with true mobility-driven attribution.

Industry examples

Retail

A national retailer can use mobility data to identify drivers who regularly pass by their stores but haven’t stopped. By targeting these “frequent passersby” with personalized offers as they approach, the retailer can convert drive-bys into store visits.

Mobility data also enables conquesting—reaching consumers who frequent competitor locations, and measuring incremental visits driven by campaigns.

Dining/QSR

Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants can leverage mobility data to promote breakfast deals to morning commuters, late-night menu items to after-hours drivers, or bundle offers to families running weekend errands. During the holiday season, they can target retail shoppers and promote dine-in and drive-thru specials nearby.

By understanding when and where target customers are driving, dining brands can time offers for maximum relevance — such as sending a push notification for a coffee deal just before a commuter’s routine stop.

Fuel and convenience

Fuel and convenience brands can identify drivers who frequently travel along major routes or stop at nearby competitors. By targeting these drivers with timely mobile ads or loyalty offers, brands can increase conversion rates and attract net-new customers.

For example, when running a mobility-based ad campaign with Arity, a national fuel brand saw a 22% post-click visit rate within 7 days, and 39% net-new visitors by leveraging mobility data for targeted advertising.

Conclusion

As marketing evolves, so must the data that powers it. Mobility data moves beyond the static map, providing marketers with the dynamic, real-world insights needed to understand, engage, and measure their audience with unprecedented precision. By embracing mobility data, brands can unlock new opportunities for growth, efficiency, and ROI — turning movement into momentum.