Roadmap & Next Steps

Where the Google-Maps-first platform is heading from 2025 to 2027—and why it matters to owners, partners, and users.

Part of the series: • Overview • Do You Really Need a Website? • Taming the Google Maps Wild West • Where Bad Sites Come From • PDF Menus → Microsites
• Time-Slot Deals for Any Business
• AI-Generated Instant Sites
• Curating Google Maps Listings
• The Microsite Flywheel
• A Freemium Model Owners Trust
• Roadmap & Next Steps (you are here)

1 | Why Publish a Public Roadmap?

Trust through transparency – Owners know we will not rug-pull on pricing or features (see A Freemium Model Owners Trust).
Partner alignment – Agencies, POS vendors, and tourism boards can build on predictable release cycles.
Community feedback loop – Early adopters upvote priorities, preventing ivory-tower features.

2 | 2025-H2 Milestones (July – December)

Month	Feature	Benefit	Linked Article
July ’25	Multi-Location Dashboard (Beta)	Chains manage 5+ sites from one login, bulk hours edit	AI-Generated Instant Sites
August ’25	Stripe & Adyen Deposits	1-click payments for Time-Slot Deals	Time-Slot Deals for Any Business
September ’25	Edge Analytics v1	Real-time visits, LCP, bounce on site card	Where Bad Sites Come From
October ’25	Overlay Video Banners	6-sec autoplay (muted) promos in Maps overlay	Curating Google Maps Listings
November ’25	Seasonal Theme Packs	Diwali, Black Friday, Xmas microsite skins	PDF Menus → Microsites
December ’25	Public Partner API v0.9	Tourism boards import bundles to city pages	The Microsite Flywheel

Status dots in owner dashboard will track each line item’s progress.

3 | 2026 Horizon Features (High-Level)

3.1 AI Demand Forecasting

Cross-references weather, local events, and historical POS to auto-price off-peak deals.
Direct tie-in to Time-Slot Deals; boosts margin by avoiding over-discounting.

3.2 Headless Mode + GraphQL API

Pro tier owners export content to kiosk screens or native apps.
Completes request raised by chain owners in AI-Generated Instant Sites comments.

3.3 UGC Reward Points

Gamifies high-quality photo uploads; users earn points redeemable across Microsite Flywheel bundles.
Reduces moderation load described in Curating Google Maps Listings.

3.4 Multi-Currency & Tax Engine

Auto-calculate VAT/GST in checkout; vital for EU cross-border shoppers.
Unlocks physical product sales beyond restaurant meals.

4 | 2027 Moon-Shot Initiatives

Initiative	What It Is	Dependency
AR Way-finding Layer	Live-view arrows from Maps to store; overlay surfaces in-route promos	Google ARCore APIs
Zero-Party Data Marketplace	Users volunteer preferences (vegan, wheelchair access) for personalised carousels	GDPR consent vault
Smart Bundle Generator	LLM designs cross-business itineraries (e.g., “Rainy Sunday Plan”)	Complete Flywheel dataset
Carbon Footprint Badges	Auto-calculate kg CO₂ per product, display on menu	Supply-chain API partners

These forward-looking bets depend on hitting the 2026 targets first.

5 | Governance & Versioning

Semantic versioning: v YY.MM (e.g., v 25.10).
Feature flags – Owners can opt-in per site; avoids forced surprises.
Quarterly public roadmap update with “shipped / on-track / at-risk” tags.
Community board (powered by Loomio) to vote on candidate features.

6 | Risk Register (Top 3)

Risk	Mitigation	Impacted Articles
Google API pricing changes	Maintain edge cache, explore MapKit JS fallback	Taming the Google Maps Wild West
Data-protection regulation shifts	DPA updates, data-residency zones per EU state	A Freemium Model Owners Trust
Feature creep bloating bundle size	Performance budget enforced in CI, fail build on >150 KB JS	Where Bad Sites Come From

7 | How Owners Can Influence the Roadmap

Up-vote feature cards in the dashboard.
Comment threads on each item (GitHub Discussions mirror for transparency).
Early-access program: test beta features in exchange for metrics sharing.
Quarterly town-hall webinar recapping what shipped.

Participatory governance echoes our ethos in A Freemium Model Owners Trust.

8 | Integration Timeline Overview

Year	Core Release	Ecosystem Release	Owner Action
2025	Multi-Location Dashboard	Partner API 0.9	Apply for beta access
2026	AI Demand Pricing	Loyalty Wallet v1	Set up points-per-€ rules
2027	AR Way-finding	Zero-Party Data Engine	Review privacy statement

9 | Key Take-Aways

The roadmap focuses first on chain scalability, then smart revenue tools, finally immersive UX.
Every upcoming feature ties back to at least one existing pillar: microsites, overlay, or deals.
Transparent milestones, open voting, and hard performance budgets keep the platform aligned with SMB realities highlighted in earlier articles.
Owners who start with AI-Generated Instant Sites today will automatically inherit these upgrades—many free under the commitments in A Freemium Model Owners Trust.

10 | Next Reads

AI-Generated Instant Sites – Foundation that will host payments, loyalty, and AR widgets.
Time-Slot Deals for Any Business – Early proof-point for dynamic pricing, soon AI-enhanced.
Curating Google Maps Listings – Current overlay; roadmap shows video, AR, and heatmap evolutions.