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For online marketplaces—job portals, property search, beauty services, and more—success hinges on the ability to match users with the most relevant options.
The better the match, the smoother the user experience, the higher the conversion rates, and the greater the opportunity to sell more inventory.
Matching is typically driven by multiple parameters, for example in a property search, this includes price, availability, number of bedrooms, outdoor space, and of course, location.
Yet, location matching is often overlooked in online marketplaces, relying on outdated methods that fail to account for real-world accessibility and proximity.
Many platforms still use geoqueries and straight-line distance instead of considering actual travel times—this is a fundamental flaw that leads to poor matches, frustrated users, and lost revenue opportunities.
The Limitations of Distance-Based Matching
Traditionally, online marketplaces rely on geoqueries for location matching.
These are database functions that use simplified abstractions or points on a flat grid to store and retrieve locations. This simplification delivers results quickly and at scale, but it does not factor in real-world transport networks or how people move through the world.
Roads, public transport, and infrastructure dictate people’s movement, meaning that locations with the same physical distance can have vastly different travel times.
Distance alone is therefore a poor proxy for accessibility, and when used for location matching, results in low accuracy and misleading search results. By not accounting for these real-world constraints, marketplaces risk serving frustrating user experiences and reducing conversions.
How Distance Can Fail Online Marketplaces
Proximity Does Not Equal Accessibility
A 5-mile distance could take 45 minutes to travel, while an 8-mile distance might take only 20 minutes due to better transport links.
Distance Ignores Transport Infrastructure
A user without a car might struggle to reach locations that appear nearby but lack viable public transport options.
Distance Delivers Misleading Results
Misleading or irrelevant results can cause users to abandon the platform after clicking on listings that seem close but are practically inaccessible.
Distance Drives Lower Conversions
Irrelevant results reduce engagement, and poor-quality matches don’t drive conversions.
This damages the core value of online marketplaces—matching users with the best result for them. Whether it’s a new job, a property, or an upcoming appointment, effective results rely on accurate time-based location matching.
Time-Based Spatial Matching
By switching to time-based matching at the source, online marketplaces can ensure that results reflect real-world accessibility.
Users are matched with relevant results based on time, not arbitrary distance, and filters allow for further personalisation based on transport mode: car, public transit, walking and cycling.
With time-based spatial location matching, marketplaces therefore see increased engagement, improved conversion rate and speed of matching, and better retention. These are all valuable in themselves but also offer several monetisation opportunities to sell more inventory and charge more for relevant matches.
This shift can benefit multiple industries to overcome the costs of inaccurate location matching:
Job Boards
- Higher job application rates → More placements → Increased employer satisfaction
- Quality matches → Faster time to hire → Sell more inventory and increased satisfaction
- Premium job postings for commute-based targeting → Monetisation opportunities
- Better job seeker experience → Higher retention and repeat job seekers
- Better employer experience → Higher retention and repeat listings
Property Portals
- More property enquiries → Increased agent commissions → Higher retention and repeat listings
- Higher-quality matches → Faster decision-making for buyers → Sell more inventory
- Premium property listings for commute-based matching → Monetisation opportunities
Service Marketplaces (Beauty, Home Services, Fitness, etc.)
- More completed bookings → Increased commission revenue
- Lower drop-off rates → Higher user satisfaction and return visits
- Premium listings for commute-based matching → Monetisation opportunities
How TravelTime Fixes the Time vs. Distance Challenge
A time-based approach to solving matching accuracy at the source ensures that users are connected with results that are more relevant.
However, most solutions today force marketplaces to choose between performance and accuracy.
Geoqueries may be fast and scalable, but they are highly inaccurate, while Routing APIs deliver on accuracy but are slow and expensive at scale.
TravelTime eliminates this trade-off by delivering:
- Real-world travel times at scale: No need to choose between speed and accuracy
- Instant calculations: Process millions of locations in milliseconds
- Fixed pricing: No pay-per-request model, making large-scale searches viable
- Seamless integration into existing platforms: APIs, SDKs, and plugins available
Time-Based Matching is the Future of Online Marketplaces
TravelTime stands to transform the way online marketplaces match users to the most relevant results.
Those that harness accurate time-based matching stand to gain a competitive advantage in search relevance, user engagement, and revenue growth.
For any online marketplace where location is a key matching parameter, switching from distance to time-based location intelligence can deliver higher conversions, more transactions, stronger customer retention, and exciting monetisation opportunities.
Want to see how TravelTime can optimise your marketplace?
Chat to us today or Developers can get started with a free API key.