Case Study: CeX Scales Review Management and Boosts Visibility with Yext
Discover how CeX scaled review response by 47%, boosted their average rating, and drove 190M Google impressions using Yext — improving brand visibility and customer trust across approximately 638 locations.
reviews responded to in the last 12 months
increase in review response rate
impressions in Google search in the last year
Founded in 1992, CeX (Complete Entertainment eXchange) is a leading UK-based retailer specializing in tech and entertainment, from mobile phones and laptops to games and gadgets. With over 630 locations across 11 countries, CeX has built a reputation for great prices, a strong warranty offering, and local convenience.
CeX first partnered with Yext in 2017 to solve a fundamental (and probably familiar) multi-location business issue: unreliable listings.
"We actually had teenagers going and changing the phone numbers," said Jonathan Cronin, CeX's Head of Marketing. "One girl was in tears in-store because her classmates had changed our store number to her mobile. Her phone was useless… just ringing nonstop. Our list was also incorrect, which frustrated customers."
Manual listings management wasn't feasible across a footprint that spans 87 publishers and over 55,000 listings. You only need to turn up once to a store that says it's open until 6:30 p.m. and find it closed at 5:30 to be unhappy. "You don't blame Google, you blame the retailer. I know, because it's happened to me," Jonathan said.
During COVID-19, when UK stores were legally closed for months, CeX evaluated alternatives. "We [did] look at 25+ other suppliers," Jonathan explained. "But what we needed was a global solution. Some competitors were strong in Europe, but we needed support in Malaysia, India, Mexico. Yext came out ahead."
Into 2024, Yext continued to help CeX take control of its store data across markets — but the primary focus began to shift to customer review management.
CeX receives thousands of reviews monthly. "We're a volume business," Jonathan said. "Stores get hundreds of reviews. Bigger stores might have 600+. Our customer care team responds to most reviews centrally."
To handle this, CeX adopted Yext's review response workflows, including GenAI-powered review response. "The volume of reviews is huge. The benefits of Gen-AI to our customer service team were clear and it helps speed up response times to customers and drive efficiency."
With the Yext platform, CeX's review response is now systematic and scalable. "We reply on behalf of franchisees," Jonathan explained. "Now, if someone's saying, I had an issue, our team [easily] picks it up and works with the relevant store manager."
CeX's investment in review response is paying off:
8.43K reviews responded to in the last 12 months via Yext
47% increase in review response rate
6% lift in average review rating (from 4.15 to 4.4)
190 million Google search impressions in the last year
Reviews also help physical location SEO and potential customers look at the responses from brands too. Yext’s Gen AI really helps here.
Beyond the numbers, CeX sees Yext as a true partner. When issues arise — like an incorrect Google map pin — Yext steps in.
Google thought one of our outer London stores was five minutes west of where it actually was. Yext told us exactly what to provide: lease, video evidence. That fixed it [quickly]. We wouldn’t have known where to start.
After nearly a decade with Yext, CeX continues to renew with intention. "We're a long-standing client, but we don't just say 'those guys will do.' We look at the market. And we choose Yext," said Jonathan.
To learn more about Yext's offerings, book a demo today.
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