Ei Group Partners with Yext to Build its Digital Footprint

Ei Group, one of the largest pub company in the UK, has partnered with Yext, the global digital knowledge management provider, to maximise discoverability of its portfolio of pubs across the digital ecosystem, improving customer experience and driving footfall in real-time.

The Yext knowledge Engine is a cloud-based platform that will be the single and central source of truth for the public facts about the Group’s pubs, internal systems, and the Yext PowerListings Network of maps, apps, search engines, social media platforms and GPS systems.

Yext will power data initially for 500+ locations across the Group’s estate including its Craft Union Pub Company, Bermondsey Pub Company, and Beacon businesses. This will ensure:

• Knowledge accuracy:  Consistency of knowledge and information about the business including: address, opening and closing hours, payment types, service description, and other deep attributes like wheelchair accessibility, outdoor seating, down to the type of beer that’s served.
• Menu accessibility:  Pubs can control, maintain, update and publish their menu information across Facebook and Google, enabling discoverability for unbranded searches like ‘burger’ or ‘craft beers’ and allow customers to look at their menu without leaving Google search or maps.
• Reviews monitoring:  Consumer reviews, not just opinion, now impact and affect organic search results and Ei Group will be utilising Yext’s location reviews service to enhance their visibility and improve their online reputation across publishers including Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook among others.

Steve de Polo, Retail Concept Director, Ei Group: “In this era of digital discovery we’re finding it increasingly difficult to manage and update in real-time the huge volume of public information available about our pubs.  It’s crucial that when a customer searches for information about our pubs it is easy to find, correct at every customer touchpoint, and meaningful.  Whether that’s location and opening hours, the food and drink it sells or the facilities.  Consumers expect this information to be correct and we must get it right – our reputation depends on it.”

Jon Buss, Managing Director of UK & Northern Europe at Yext, added: “Consumers expect correct information from a brand in their moment of need, but managing the public information available and discoverable is an arduous task.  Try it and you’ll see what I mean:   Google saying a location is closed, Bing saying it’s open, menu data out of date, opening and closing hours incorrect.  Brands can’t afford for this to happen and need to be in control of what consumers see and read about them.  Implementing the Yext solution and optimising their digital knowledge for local search, Ei Group can seize the opportunity to increase visibility of each pub, drive footfall, and enhance the customer experience.”

Source: Yext

  Alcohol, Beverage, Digital, Ei Group, Footprint, Marketing, partnership, pubs, UK, Yext