Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the leader in Digital Knowledge Management (DKM), today announced that its Spring '19 Product Release is available for general access. Live for Yext customers and partners, the Spring Release features integrations with some of the largest global digital services used by Chinese travelers around the world, including Baidu Map (Overseas), Fliggy, CK Map, and PIRT. These integrations put businesses outside China in control of their brand information in the services that hundreds of millions of Chinese travelers all across the globe use to find places to eat, shop, stay, and more.
"Travelers from China spent $261 billion overseas in 2016—more than tourists from any other country—but the digital services these travelers use to find businesses are completely different from those popular in the West, and businesses are struggling to reach this major customer base," said Marc Ferrentino, Chief Strategy Officer of Yext. "Yext's integrations with leading Chinese services like Baidu Map make it possible for Western businesses to provide correct answers to these consumers as they look for places to eat, shop, and stay."
Travelers from Mainland China are still subject to the "Great Firewall" when they travel overseas, and so they do not use sites like Google to find places to eat, stay, or shop. Instead, they use services like Baidu Map (Overseas), Fliggy, CK Map, and PIRT while traveling. A survey by Coresight Research indicates that 72% of Chinese tourists use online resources to plan their trips and 98% rely on their mobile phones while abroad to keep in touch and do research on the go.
The Spring '19 Release, now available for general access, includes the following features:
New Integrations with Chinese Apps: The Yext Knowledge Network now includes leading services that Chinese travelers use when they travel around the world. Businesses outside China using Yext can now publish their information to Baidu Map (Overseas), Fliggy, CK Map, and PIRT, so their critical business information will be correct and up to date in these services.
Google Q&A: Businesses can now monitor and answer questions that consumers ask about them on Google in Google's Q&A search results, directly in the Yext dashboard. Using Yext, they can also sync pre-answered FAQs to pre-empt common customer questions in order to provide a better customer experience and win more business.
AI-Ready Pages: Yext has enhanced AI-Ready Pages with new customization options. AI-Ready Pages let businesses create a smart landing page on their website for any entity stored in Yext with just a few clicks to drive consumer discovery and action.
For more information on the Spring '19 Product Release, visit the Release Notes.
