Rhodes knows that having correct, consistent, and verified answers about the brand is integral to AutoNation's success. "The shift in consumers starting their customer journey in search engines, and starting on social, continues to climb. What we see happening with consumers more and more often, is they're starting on mobile devices to actually connect to, and find, those things that they're looking for. Many of our consumers are connecting on Google to find our stores — to call or get directions before they come to the store. Or you find them starting on Google to look at the types of vehicles, or inventory, that we have in our stores."
"Location is everything," states Rhodes. "When you're in a local business, serving a local community, it's important that a consumer can find you quickly, and have an immediate experience with you. That's only possible if the information about your brand — like phone number, email, and location hours — is correct and easy to find. If we don't have that information available, you're going to the next store that can help you. And in an industry as time-sensitive as automotive, being prominent in front of a consumer, on their handheld device, is extremely important to us at AutoNation. Which is why we use Yext."