docs: expand scope to local retail alongside services
- Strategy §1a: brick-and-mortar services + local retail in scope - Pure online e-com remains out (Shopify lane) - ICP, NORTH_STAR, README, product docs aligned - Add UC-03 general store (toothbrush / chicken strips case)
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# ICP Definition – geolocal.io
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> **Single source of truth.** All investor, GTM, and engineering docs must reference this file for persona details.
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> Last updated: 2026-07-16
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> **Single source of truth for who we sell to.** Aligns with [Canonical Strategy](../strategy/CANONICAL_STRATEGY.md) §1a.
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> Last updated: 2026-07-18
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---
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## Primary ICP (Tier 1 – "The Perfect Fit")
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## Primary ICP (Tier 1 – best fit)
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| Attribute | Description |
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|-----------|-------------|
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| **Business type** | Independent, locally-owned SMBs with physical presence or local service radius. |
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| **Typical verticals** | Wellness (yoga, pilates, massage), personal care (salons, barbers), home services (cleaning, landscaping, handymen), boutique retail (florists, bike shops, bakeries). |
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| **Employees** | 1–10 (solo-preneurs to micro-teams). |
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| **Revenue** | $50k–$500k annual gross revenue. |
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| **Tech maturity** | Has a website (even a simple one) but no dedicated head of marketing or IT. Uses at least 1 booking tool (e.g., Cal.com, Squarespace Scheduling, Vagaro) or POS that supports appointments. |
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| **Pain point** | Loses walk-in / phone-in leads to AI assistants (Siri, ChatGPT, Alexa) that cannot find or book them; feels invisible in voice/search results. |
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| **Motivation** | Wants to be "found" by AI without learning new software. Willing to pay if it delivers 3–5 new bookings/month. |
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| **Business type** | Independent, locally owned SMBs with a **physical location** or clear local service radius. Includes **services and local retail**. |
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| **Typical verticals** | **Services:** wellness, personal care, home services, auto repair, tourism activities. **Local retail:** general stores, hardware, pharmacies, gift/outfitter shops, specialty food. **Hybrid:** bike shops, marinas, bakeries that sell and serve. |
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| **Employees** | 1–15 (solo operators to small teams). |
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| **Revenue** | Roughly $50k–$1M annual gross (directional, not a hard gate). |
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| **Tech maturity** | Has some web presence (even thin). May use booking tools, POS, or neither. No dedicated AI/engineering team. |
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| **Pain point** | AI assistants cannot reliably describe them, recommend them, or complete a next step (book, visit, buy/pickup). They lose the “named recommendation” moment. |
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| **Motivation** | Want AI to tell the truth about what they do or carry — without learning a new craft stack. Will pay if it drives visits, calls, bookings, or sales. |
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**Illustrative retail case:** A general store in Athol, Idaho should be able to make ChatGPT-class assistants answer: we carry toothbrushes; the chicken strips are a local favorite; here are hours and how to get here — from the store’s own structured truth, not a guess.
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---
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## Secondary ICP (Tier 2 – "The Enterprise-Lite")
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## Secondary ICP (Tier 2)
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| Attribute | Description |
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|-----------|-------------|
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| **Business type** | Regional franchises or multi-location SMBs (5–20 locations). |
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| **Typical verticals** | Dental clinics, auto repair chains, tutoring centers. |
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| **Tech maturity** | Has a central CRM or scheduling API; needs a bulk implementation. |
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| **Motivation** | Wants to standardise AI-discovery across all locations with minimal custom dev. |
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| **Business type** | Multi-location local brands or regional operators (a handful to ~20 locations). |
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| **Typical verticals** | Multi-site auto, dental, tutoring, small retail chains with local stores. |
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| **Motivation** | Standardize AI-readiness across locations with light ops burden. |
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---
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## Common attributes across all ICPs
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## Intermediate ICP (distribution, not the end SMB)
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- **Booking-dependent:** Must take appointments or reservations online.
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- **Payment-ready:** Accepts credit cards (Stripe, Square, or PayPal) – required for the transaction loop.
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- **Google Maps presence:** Has a Google Business Profile (needed to verify physical location).
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- **Decision-maker:** Owner or store manager (not a corporate procurement department).
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- **Budget signal:** Currently spends >$100/mo on at least one marketing channel (Meta ads, Google Ads, or SEO tool).
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| Attribute | Description |
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|-----------|-------------|
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| **Type** | Tourism boards, visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce. |
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| **Job** | Fund and aggregate member AI-readiness; improve destination helpfulness. |
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| **See** | [UC-02](../product/use-cases/uc-02-intermediate-tourism-board.md) |
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---
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## Buying signals we look for
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## Shared fit signals
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1. Mentions "not showing up in ChatGPT" or "Alexa can't find us."
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2. Currently uses a paper/phone booking system alongside a digital one.
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3. Has asked their agency/SEO consultant about "AI search optimisation."
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4. Churn risk with current booking software (complains about cost or complexity).
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- Place-based: consumers ask about them with a location in mind
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- Owner or store manager can decide (not only enterprise procurement)
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- Willing to put a small discovery pointer on a site or landing page
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- Some path to value: appointments **or** walk-in/pickup/retail demand **or** both
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- Often already spending something on ads, SEO, or web help (not mandatory)
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---
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## Buying signals
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1. “ChatGPT / AI doesn’t know we exist” or recommends a competitor
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2. Phone and foot traffic still matter; online presence is weak or outdated
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3. Agency or chamber asking about AI search / AI visitor experience
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4. Tourism or main-street context where “what’s here / what do they have” is the job
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---
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## Anti-ICP (do not target)
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- E-commerce only (no physical/local service).
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- Enterprise with >100 locations and dedicated engineering teams (they will build internally).
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- Pure B2B SaaS or products sold via distributors (no direct consumer booking).
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- Businesses that do not accept online payments.
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- **Pure e-commerce** with no meaningful local footprint (Shopify’s world)
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- Enterprise with large dedicated engineering teams building their own agent stack
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- Pure B2B with no consumer or visitor discovery motion
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- National marketplaces and travel packagers (Airbnb/Kayak class) as primary customers
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Note: “Does not take online appointments” is **not** automatic anti-ICP. Many strong retail fits will not be booking-led.
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---
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## How to use this definition
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## How to use this file
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- **GTM teams:** Use the buying signals for lead scoring and partner briefs.
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- **Engineering:** Use the tech-maturity attributes to scope the `.well-known` setup and default data model.
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- **Investor docs:** Reference this as the "target wedge" – 1.2% of 33M US SMBs = our initial TAM.
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- **GTM:** lead scoring and partner briefs
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- **Product/engineering:** genre packs and data model must support services **and** local retail primitives
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- **Investors:** wedge is long-tail **local** businesses, not “appointments SaaS only”
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---
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*Any updates to ICP must be made here first, then propagated to derivative docs.*
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*Update this file first when ICP changes, then propagate.*
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