Wises taking on Google in NZ maps search battle

Wises Maps is confident that its new business search engine will give it an edge over online giant Google Maps that has added New Zealand streets to its services.

Wises has gradually added 140,000 business listings to its service as a result of the merger between APN's Wises Maps and UBD business directories in December, and launched the new-look Wises in August this year.

Google Maps added New Zealand and Australia streets in September last year.

A Google spokesman said these enhancements were part of its ongoing efforts to bring New Zealand data to Google Maps.

"We continue to make strides on our development of Google Maps for New Zealand but we don't have anything further to announce at this time."

Wises chief executive Dwayne Alexander was not fazed by Google's move into New Zealand maps.

"Google has New Zealand maps, but no local data. We are established, we are one step ahead."

Wises has attracted 4200 customers since the business search engine was launched in August, he said.

Most of the new clients were small business owners with 15 or less staff, followed by businesses with 16 to 49 employees. About 36 per cent of the customers were from Auckland, with the next largest group from Wellington, then Christchurch and Hamilton.

Wises had also come up with a new form of advertising that enabled businesses to design their own advertisements online.

Called "self-service advertising", Wises argued it was less expensive then creating, hosting and marketing an online advertisement or microsite.

Businesses could pick from a wide range of free photo images from the Wises library to build the advertisement.

"New Zealand is a nation of small businesses so being able to remove the production costs from an ad is a big attraction and provides them with new opportunities to grow their business through our net-savvy audience."

Customers can choose from a range of options of packages from an entry-level package at $525, through to a more advanced package at $1495.

The only catch was Wises had just two businesses with self-service advertisements on its books.

"It takes a while for people to catch on. That's just related to classic marketing principles. If you say it long enough then people start to take notice. People will warm to this as they go along," said Alexander. He expected a large uptake in the self-service advertisement model in the near future.

The Government's regulation to open Telecom's network to its competitors and increase broadband uptake was going to have huge positive spin-off for the company, said Alexander.

"It directly hits us, as more people can have access to richer content and it provides an easier choice for customers to go online."