Get started with ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro

ArcGIS Business Analyst combines map-based analytics with demographic, business, lifestyle, spending, and census data to help you make more informed decisions about your business or organization. Business Analyst has desktop, web, and mobile apps. This tutorial will teach you the basics of using the desktop app, which is an ArcGIS Pro extension.

You want to open a grocery store in Memphis, Tennessee, but aren't sure which areas of the city have the best potential for your business. To find out, you'll first map demographic data showing projected spending on food. Then, you'll map competitor grocery stores throughout the city. Based on these criteria, you'll choose a candidate location and create infographics with more information about its service area so you can assess whether it's a good match for your business.

This tutorial was last tested on May 12, 2026, using ArcGIS Pro 3.7. If you're using a different version of ArcGIS Pro, you may encounter different functionality and results.

Requirements

• ArcGIS Pro (see options for software access)
• ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro

Get started with ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro

Create a project

First, you'll create a project in ArcGIS Pro. You'll also confirm you have the ArcGIS Business Analyst license necessary to complete the tutorial.

1. Start ArcGIS Pro. If prompted, sign in using your licensed ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have access to ArcGIS Pro or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access.

2. Under New Project, click Map.

   

3. In the New Project window, for Name, type Memphis Grocery Analysis. Click OK.

   The project is created with a default map. For now, the only layers are the World Topographic Map basemap and the World Hillshade layer, which provide geographic context.

   Next, you'll review your ArcGIS Pro extensions to confirm you have the Business Analyst extension, which is required to complete this tutorial.

4. On the ribbon, click the Project tab.

   

5. Click Licensing.

   

6. Under ArcGIS Pro Extensions, confirm that you have a Business Analyst license.

   

   Note:

   To learn more about the Business Analyst license and how to acquire it, visit the ArcGIS Business Analyst product page.

7. Click the back button.

   

   You return to your project.

Set the data source

Next, you'll set the data source. The data source determines the type of data you use when you run Business Analyst tools. There are data sources for many countries.

In this tutorial, you're analyzing locations in Memphis, Tennessee, so you'll set the data source to one that uses United States data.

Note:

The data source you'll use in this tutorial contains online data, which consumes credits when accessed. For ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro, you can also use a local dataset that you have purchased to perform analysis. To learn more about the available data options, see Business Analyst data.

1. On the ribbon, click the Analysis tab.

   

2. In the Workflows group, click Business Analysis.

   

   A menu of Business Analyst workflows appears. The Business Analyst Data Source section shows the current data source.

   It's possible that your default data source is already a United States data source. If so, you don't need to change the data source.

3. If your data source is not United States (Esri 2025) (or a more recent year), click Change data source.

   

   The Business Analyst Data Source window appears. It lists all of the available data sources.

4. If necessary, under Portal, click North America. For United States, click Esri 2025 (or a more recent year if available).

   

5. Click OK.

   The data source is set to the most recent United States data. You're ready to start your analysis of Memphis, Tennessee.

Map grocery spending

First, you'll map food spending throughout Memphis. Since you plan to open a grocery store, areas with more food spending will likely have more market potential for your business.

To make the map, you'll create a color-coded layer. Color-coded layers visualize data using color, so you'll be able to understand which areas have high and low spending at a glance.

1. On the Analysis tab, in the Workflows group, click Business Analysis and choose Color Coded Layer.

   

   The Data Browser window appears. This window contains all the demographic data available in the data source, organized by category.

   You'll find the 2030 Food at Home variable (or a later year if available). This variable is part of the Esri Consumer Spending dataset, which forecasts spending on goods and services based on the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure and Diary Surveys. Food at home refers to the amount of money consumers spend on food they consume at home; in other words, groceries. By mapping forecasted spending instead of current spending, you'll better ensure the success of your business in the long term.

   Tip:

   If you enabled semantic search when installing ArcGIS Pro, you may have the option to use AI-enhanced smart search functionality in the data browser. To turn it on, click the options button next to the search bar and check the Find related variables check box.

2. In the Data Browser window, in the search bar, type Food at Home and press Enter.

   

   The search results display variables for current and future food at home spending.

3. Scroll down the list of results and expand 2030 Total Expenditures (Consumer Spending) (or a later year if available).

   Note:

   Demographic data is updated periodically. If more recent data is available than the data in the tutorial instructions, you can use it.

4. Click 2030 Food at Home.

   

   The variable is selected.

5. At the bottom of the Data Browser window, click OK.

   A color-coded layer is created for the variable you chose. It shows the full extent of the data, which for your data source is the United States.

   

   Note:

   Depending on your settings, your default zoom extent may differ from the example image.

   The layer is also added to the Contents pane. The color-coded layer is actually a group layer, meaning it contains several sublayers. These sublayers represent the data at different geography levels, such as states and counties.

   

   Because of your default zoom level, the Congressional Districts and Counties sublayers are not currently displayed on the map, as indicated by the grayed-out check boxes next to their names. When you zoom in to an appropriate extent, these layers will appear.

   Your area of interest is Memphis, a city. Though the group layer contains an Area of Interest sublayer, it's currently empty because you haven't set your area of interest. When you created the color-coded layer, the Symbology pane appeared with more options for visualization, including the option to set your area of interest.

6. In the Symbology pane, for Area of interest, type Memphis. In the list of results, click Memphis city (4748000).

   

   The color-coded layer updates and the map zooms to Memphis. Now, the Area of Interest layer shows the city boundaries. The sublayers include those that are appropriate for a smaller, city-wide extent, such as ZIP Codes, Census Tracts, and Block Groups.

   Block groups are the smallest level of detail available for most United States demographic data. They're usually the best choice for a city-wide analysis.

7. For Level of detail, confirm Block Groups is chosen.

   

   The Block Groups layer is the only layer currently displayed on the map other than the Area of Interest layer. Every block group in the city is shown, color-coded by predicted spending on groceries.

   

   To better understand what the colors mean, you'll look at the layer's legend.

8. In the Contents pane, expand Block Groups.

   

   The legend appears. Spending is aggregated, rather than averaged by household. Darker colors indicate more spending. The darkest areas are predicted to spend between $10 million and $17 million on groceries. These areas might have the most market potential for a new grocery store.

Add a population variable

It's a good idea to consider more than one variable when making decisions about where to open a new business. You'll add a population variable to your color-coded layer, showing projected future population. This variable is part of the Esri Updated Demographics dataset.

1. In the Symbology pane, for Variable, click the Open the data browser to add a secondary variable button.

   

   The Data Browser window appears. This time, you'll find the variable you want by browsing the categories.

2. Click the Population category.

   

3. Click Population Totals.

   

4. Expand 2030 Key Demographic Indicators (Esri) (or a later date if available). Click 2030 Total Population (Esri).

   

5. Click OK.

   The map updates. It now shows both variables using a bivariate (two-variable) color scheme.

   

   The symbology for a bivariate map is more complex than the symbology when mapping only one variable. Before you interpret the map, you'll simplify the symbology by changing the grid size.

   A bivariate color scheme uses a grid of colors rather than a linear ramp. By default, the grid size is 3 x 3, meaning there are 9 colors on the map. You'll change the grid size to a smaller number.

6. In the Symbology pane, for Grid size, choose 2 x 2.

   

   With this grid size, the map changes so there are only four colors.

   

   A bivariate map uses a grid of colors to represent the relationship between the two variables you're mapping. One axis of the grid represents one variable, while the other axis represents the other variable. Before you look at the legend, you'll adjust it so that it emphasizes high values, which are the values you're interested in for assessing the market potential of an area.

7. For Orientation, choose High values.

   

   This setting doesn't change the map, but it does change the legend.

8. In the Contents pane, expand Block Groups.

   

   The legend reveals what each of the four colors on the map mean:

   • Light gray means the area has both low food at home spending and a low population.
   • Pink means the area has high food at home spending, but a low population.
   • Teal means the area has a high population, but low food at home spending.
   • Purple means the area has both high food at home spending and a high population.

   Changing the orientation turned the legend into a diamond, with purple at the top. Purple is the color of most interest to you, as it indicates a grocery store in the area might have a large number of visitors and a large amount of spending. On the map, there are purple block groups scattered throughout the city, though most of them are on the city's eastern end.

Assess the competition

While demographics play a major role in the success of a business, understanding the competition is also crucial. Too much competition may make it difficult for your business to stand out. Too little competition may mean you're siting your grocery store in an area with few companion businesses.

To map existing grocery stores in Memphis, you'll perform a points of interest search, which is based on ArcGIS Places datasets. Points of interest are businesses, public spaces, landmarks, and similar distinct places that can be visualized on the map as a point. They contain useful information, such as brand affiliation, business category, and so on.

1. On the Analysis tab, in the Workflows group, click Business Analysis and choose Points of Interest Search.

   

   The Points of Interest Search pane appears.

2. For Data Source, confirm that Data Axle is chosen.

   This data source contains ArcGIS Places data for the United States and Canada.

3. For Search type, choose Category.

   

4. For Category name, check the Food & Grocery Stores check box.

   

   Tip:

   To limit your search to specific types of food and grocery stores, expand Food & Grocery Stores and expand the appropriate submenus. For example, if you wanted to specifically map delicatessens, expand Food & Grocery Stores, expand Grocery Stores, and check the Grocers-Delicatessen check box.

   The category is added to the search. You'll define the search extent to only return results in Memphis.

5. For Search extent, choose Area of Interest.

   

6. Click the Set the area of interest to a layer on the map button and choose Area of Interest.

   

7. At the bottom of the Points of Interest Search pane, click Next.

   You have the option to filter the search results to remove specific businesses or locations. You won't apply any filters.

8. Click Preview Map.

   

   The points of interest are added to the map. Right away, it's possible to identify some high-spending, high-population areas with few nearby grocery stores.

   

   Note:

   The symbology of your points may differ from the example images.

9. In the Points of Interest Search pane, for Output, change the default output name to Memphis_Competitors.

   

10. Click Finish.

    The layer is created and added to the map. It has the same locations as the preview, although the default symbology may differ.

Evaluate a potential site

You've mapped demographic information and competitors. Next, you'll evaluate a potential site for your grocery store.

One of the most important considerations for a new business is its trade area. Who is coming to your store? Are they driving or walking? Does your store benefit from companion businesses in the area? What do your customers spend money on? To answer these questions and others, you'll sketch the location of a potential site and evaluate its trade area based on a buffer you add around it.

1. On the Analysis tab, in the Workflows group, click Business Analysis and choose Evaluate Site.

   

   The Evaluate Site pane appears. First, you'll identify a location that might be a good site for your grocery store. You'll make the decision based on the demographic data and competitor locations you've already mapped.

2. On the map, zoom to the cluster of dark purple block groups in central-eastern Memphis.

   

   This area has high food spending and high population, while also having several areas with low competition. When zoomed in, it seems most of the competitor stores are located near Highway 72, which crosses east-west through the center of the area.

   However, in the northern part of the area, Highway 240 has few competitor locations nearby. A new location off Highway 240 might draw in a market that otherwise must travel relatively far to reach a grocery store. You'll add a point to the map to represent a potential site in this area.

3. In the Evaluate Site pane, click the Point on the Map button.

   

   Now, when you click the map, a point will be added at that location.

4. On the map, click a location near Highway 240 with few competitor sites, such as the location highlighted in the example image.

   

   The point is added where you clicked and the map zooms to it.

   Tip:

   If you're not satisfied with the location you chose, click the Point on the Map button again and add a new point. The old point will automatically be replaced.

5. In the Evaluate Site pane, click Next.

   When you go to the next page of the pane, the point you added temporarily disappears. Next, you'll add a buffer around the point to represent your trade area, or the area where you expect your customers to mostly come from.

   Buffers come in two types. First, you can add a buffer with a uniform distance from the point. This buffer is in the shape of a circle. While it does capture an area around the point, it often doesn't reflect how people actually move, which is determined by roads. You'll set a drive-time area as the buffer, which will capture the area in which people can drive to your store within a specified amount of time.

6. Click the Drive Time Trade Areas button.

   

7. Confirm that Distance Type is set to Driving Time. For Time, delete the content of the first two boxes and change the third box to 10.

   

   These settings will show the area in which someone can drive to your site within 10 minutes.

8. Click Next.

   The next page of the pane has options for the infographics and reports you'll generate for your trade area. These infographics and reports contain demographic and consumption information about the area, which will help you understand whether the trade area is appropriate for your business.

   You'll generate three infographics. One will show how the community is changing over time, another will show the community's commuting habits, and the last will provide a demographic profile of the community. With this information, you'll better understand the community in both the present and the future, as well as whether it's reasonable to assume customers will drive to your location.

9. Turn on Create Infographics and Classic Reports. Under Standard Infographics, check the following template check boxes:
   • Community Change Snapshot
   • Commute Profile
   • Demographic Profile

   Tip:

   If you have trouble finding the templates, you can search for them using the search box.

   

10. Click Next. Review the summary of your choices and click Finish.

    The site and the drive-time area are created and added to the map. The three infographic templates you chose are generated as PDFs and opened in your default PDF viewer.

    

    The drive-time area can make it difficult to see the color-coded map layer. To simplify the map, you'll remove the fill color for the drive-time area.

11. In the Contents pane, for Buffers, right-click 10 Minutes and choose No color.

    

    The trade area is now shown only as an outline.

    

    Tip:

    For more symbology customization options, right-click Buffers and choose Symbology.

    The 10-minute drive-time area around your potential site covers much of central-eastern Memphis, including several high-population, high-spending areas, as well as several low-population but high-spending areas to the north. This trade area is promising, but to learn more, you'll review the infographics you generated. Since these infographics were opened in a different program, you'll save the project before continuing.

12. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Save Project button.

    

    Your project is saved.

13. In your PDF viewer, open the Demographic Profile infographic.

    

    Note:

    The values in your infographics will differ from the example image based on the exact location where you added your site.

    The values in this infographic are promising. The population within a 10-minute drive of your site is over 80,000, while the median disposable income is close to $70,000. The Household Income chart indicates that there is a good part of the population with higher incomes.

14. Open the Commute Profile infographic.

    

    This infographic indicates that the community frequently commutes to work, with most commutes lasting between 10 and 30 minutes. Your 10-minute drive-time trade area is likely a good representation of your customer base, since driving 10 minutes or more is part of the daily routine of most workers. You could position your grocery store as a quick stop on the way home from work for fresh dinner items or grab-and-go deli meals.

15. Open the Community Change Snapshot infographic.

    

    Unlike the previous two infographics, this infographic indicates some challenges that may face your business if you open in this location. Though the population is large, it has declined over the past five years and is projected to decline more in the next five. The declining population should be an important consideration when determining if this is the best place to open your business.

    Tip:

    These PDFs are saved in your project in case you want to access them again later. In ArcGIS Pro, in the Catalog pane, expand Folders, Memphis Grocery Areas, and SummaryReports. Right-click the PDF you want to view and choose Show in File Explorer to access it.

In this tutorial, you used ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro to evaluate a potential site for a new grocery store. By creating a color-coded map, assessing competition, and generating infographics for your expected trade area, you've collected detailed information necessary for making an informed decision about where to open your store.

Though this workflow focused on evaluating a single location, you could run the Evaluate Site tool again for other locations and compare the results to determine the best location. This workflow can also be performed for any location in the United States or, by changing the data source, most locations in the world.

This tutorial was only an introduction to what you can do in ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro. For more advanced workflows, try the following tutorials:

• Expand a small business
• Prioritize intervention with suitability analysis
• Design territories for college recruiting
• Set up custom data for infographics in ArcGIS Pro

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• Demographic variables from Esri. Data Vintage: Esri 2025. Retrieved from Esri Data Browser on April 21, 2026.
• Topographic map sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community