When a customer asks an AI tool where to find a rent-to-own (RTO) store, the answer may arrive before they ever visit a company’s website. That shift creates a practical question for RTO operators: Does AI have enough reliable information to recommend your business?
That question drove Be the Answer: How to Show Up When Customers Ask AI Where to Go, presented at RTO World 2026 by APRO CEO Charles Smitherman and wowbrands CEO Ryan Krass. The session examined how AI-generated search results are changing business discovery and what rent-to-own dealers can do to strengthen the information AI systems encounter about their stores.
AI Visibility for Rent-to-Own Starts With Information
Krass described the change as another evolution in how customers find businesses. The storefront was once a customer’s first impression. Later, that first impression might have been a Google Business Profile or company website. Increasingly, he said, it can happen inside an AI tool that provides an answer directly to the consumer.
That means businesses need to think beyond simply ranking among a list of links. During demonstrations, Krass showed searches in which AI tools responded to local rent-to-own questions with specific business recommendations.
For operators, the exercise he suggested was simple: Ask an AI tool questions about your own stores. Search for the best rent-to-own store in your city or a specific product available through rent-to-own. Look closely at the response, and if your company is missing or the information is inaccurate, ask the tool why it produced that answer.
The goal is to identify gaps in the information available about the business rather than assume AI already understands it correctly.
Give AI Clear, Consistent Business Signals
Smitherman and Krass organized their recommendations around several factors that can influence how a business is understood online, including relevance, prevalence, trust, clarity, and authority. Their larger point was that no single webpage or tactic is likely to tell a company’s entire story.
For local rent-to-own stores, some of the most immediate work is also the most familiar. Smitherman encouraged operators to keep their Google Business Profiles verified and current, update photos with authentic images from the store, and make sure basic information such as the business name, address, phone number, hours, and delivery area is consistent.
Website content also matters. The speakers recommended providing clear product and inventory information and developing useful FAQs that directly answer questions customers are likely to ask. Smitherman noted that APRO has been incorporating FAQs and other structured information into its own Rent-to-Own 101 Knowledge Base as part of its efforts to make information easier for search and AI systems to understand.
Let Customers Help Establish Trust
Customer reviews received particular attention throughout the session.
Krass described reviews as an important outside signal because they provide information about a business that comes from sources beyond the company’s own website. Rather than a company simply claiming it provides a good experience, reviews give customers a chance to document their own experiences.
Smitherman similarly encouraged operators to think about their entire online ecosystem. A company’s own content provides one source of information, while reviews, local mentions, directories, and other third-party sources can reinforce the business’s identity and reputation. He also emphasized responding to Google reviews rather than treating review collection as a one-time project.
The practical lesson is consistency. AI systems may encounter information about a rent-to-own company across many sources, so those sources should clearly identify who the business is, where it operates, and what it offers.
Tell Your Own Rent-to-Own Story
The session also raised a broader issue for the industry: If reliable information about rent-to-own is limited online, other sources may end up defining the business model for customers.
Krass also encouraged the industry to publish accurate, substantive information that explains rent-to-own and answers the questions consumers are actually asking. For an individual operator, that can begin with clear store information, detailed product content, useful FAQs, current business profiles, and an ongoing effort to earn and respond to customer reviews.
For Smitherman and Krass, “being the answer” was less about finding a shortcut to AI rankings and more about creating a strong body of consistent information that AI tools can find and understand.
APRO members can watch the full Be the Answer: How to Show Up When Customers Ask AI Where to Go session replay for additional examples, demonstrations, and recommendations shared during RTO World 2026.
About wowbrands
wowbrands is a Columbus, Ohio-based software and digital marketing company serving the rent-to-own industry. Since 2008, the company has developed e-commerce websites, customer relationship management systems, digital marketing programs, vendor inventory tools, and other technology solutions designed specifically for rent-to-own businesses. wowbrands has been an APRO vendor member since 2022.
