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Pep Boys hears the voice of Instagram users

1/5/2016

“Listening” on a visual platform such as Instagram might seem like an oxymoron, but there is no paradox in Pep Boys’ success in this endeavor.



Pep Boys, which has agreed to be acquired by Icahn Enterprises, has leveraged technology from location-based marketing solutions provider Yext to help integrate Instagram as a key component of its Search and Response customer engagement program. This program is aimed at boosting Pep Boys’ social following by actively tracking and responding in real-time to all relevant social media posts.



Instagram's native search function does not allow tracking and searching by consumer location. Pep Boys utilizes Yext's technology to identify user-generated content that is geo-tagged at their store locations, even if the user doesn't include a hashtag. This allows Pep Boys to gain access to local customers who are visiting their shop locations and posting about the experience on Instagram.



"Thanks to Yext, Pep Boys can now see all user-generated content tagged at any of our 800 locations in a single, searchable feed and reply to them directly, without ever leaving the Yext dashboard," said Emily Smith, Pep Boys online marketing manager. "We also leverage Yext's real-time tracking and response capabilities to respond immediately to customers who have urgent questions and concerns, which has really elevated our quality of customer service and helped us build better customer relationships."



Since launching in early 2015, Pep Boys has tracked in real-time more than 6,400 Instagram posts in the Yext platform. In addition to improving communications with existing Instagram followers, Pep Boys has also been able to identify shoppers who use Instagram and turn them into followers. Other advantages include the ability to better track the customer experience in real time, allowing quick resolution of problems as they occur.


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