Store Locator SaaS Improvements for Map Tooltips and Cluster Markers

Store Locator Plus® recently updated the SaaS servers and underlying locator software.   Many of the changes are server-level updates such as increased maximum throughput to the disk storage of the server clusters and longer backup retention periods.   Both improve the performance and resilience of the SaaS offering.    Users of our SaaS offering have a better experience without having to worry about the minutia of server management.

In addition to the performance update of the SaaS product there are several patches that improve the JavaScript applications that power the locator deployments.   Patches include improved feature support for Enterprise level users that take advantage of the map marker tooltips, which can be turned off via Settings | Map | Marker Tooltip , and well as consistent marker cluster behavior.

Store Locator Plus® map cluster markers.

Work has begun on improving the performance of Store Locator Plus® via reduced overhead on the server as well as refinements to the JavaScript libraries that run the SaaS deployments that should be out this summer.

Location position and accuracy

Have you ever checked the accuracy of your location marker compared to where it appears on the widely used google maps application?  If you do,  you may notice that the latitude and longitude and position of your marker is not exactly the same as where it appears in the Google Map.

The exact location marker on your map may be slightly off by a few feet or meters from the actual location shown in the Google Maps App. Both are using Geocoding  (the process of converting addresses into geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude), which you can use to place markers on a map, or position the map, so why the difference?

Custom Map Markers

Our latest how-to video for Store Locator Plus® is online. In the latest How-To video we show you how to set your custom map markers based on types of locations.    This is done using the categorization tool available in the Power Add On for WordPress or the Professional and Enterprise plans for Store Locator Plus® SaaS Edition.

Custom Map Markers

The default map marker design with Store Locator Plus® is to set your map markers to be identical for all locations.

These markers can be customized so they are specific to each location. Or a select few locations can have their own marker while the rest use the standard marker. There is also an option to set the map marker based on the type of location, for example those in the “Service” category use a read marker and the “Sales” category use a yellow marker.

You can find also find help on adding and editing location categories in our documentation.