Boustead launches war on Gothere.sg with new site

Popular street directory site Gothere.sg may soon face tough competition.

Mainboard-listed Boustead Singapore, under its subsidiary Geologic, has launched a new interactive map portal of Singapore with uncannily similar name, WhereTo.sg.

The site draws information from government sources such as the Singapore Land Authority and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (“ACRA”), unlike gothere.sg which draws information from users and other sources such as Hungrygowhere.com. When asked how the site would be different from competitor sites like gothere.sg and Google Maps, General Manager of Geologic, Mr Thomas Pramotedham said: “Because we get data from the SLA and it is also updated on a quarterly basis, it will be more accurate. We expect that it will also fill out missing gaps (of information) that Google (Maps) misses.” He added that the site would cut down the number of sources a user would have to go to. For example, if a user was looking how to get to a post office, he would not only be able to find out instructions on the shortest way to get there, but be able to get information on the nearest buildings and the nearest distance needed to walk there.

Apart from that, the site also offers business owners an edge over competitors, as the site is able to track down the locations of retail outlets of a competitor business.

Users can track the nearest amenities such as buildings, businesses, banking facilities, MRT stations, petrol stations, public amenities, schools and weather in their vicinity by a quick search.

Geologic will soon embark on a joint marketing with 7-Eleven campaign to build awareness of its site. The site runs on ESRI’s ArcGIS technology and Boustead’s expertise in Geo-Spatial Technology.

However, Gothere.sg has been having a good year, according to director Toh Kian Khai. “Our site traffic has gone up by 10 times since January this year. We don’t think the new site will have a big difference on our business, but no one knows what the effect will really be as of yet.” He added that Gothere.sg was not thinking of starting any new plans for its website as of now.

Consumers have mixed reviews. Says product designer Cheryl Lin, 25: I just checked out the website and I don't really like it. Gothere.sg has a much simpler and user friendly interface that makes it work. Whereto.sg has a more complicated or rather messy interface that makes me not feel like using it after the first try.

Project engineer Michael Tan, 31 says: It’s (Whereto.sg) more detailed than other street directory websites. However, it’s rather hard to navigate.”