8 out of 10 customers report that they are less likely to go to a store if they can’t view inventory levels online in advance.
Combine this with the fact that 33% of all Google searches are location-based and you can start to see the importance of Local Inventory ads.
So if you are a brick-and-mortar store, what can you do about this to ensure you are attracting both in-store and ecommerce shoppers?
That is the issue that Local Inventory ads are trying to solve. This article briefly outlines what they are, and how Google Shopping users can implement them to reach out to a new and engaged audience.
Local inventory ads showcase your products and store information to nearby shoppers searching on Google. When they click on your ad, they arrive on a Google-hosted page for your store, called the Local Storefront (see image from Google below).
If local shoppers don’t know that you have the products they want in stock and nearby, the chances are that they'll just turn to Amazon instead.
So these ads are way to show your in-store inventory, provide store hours and directions to direct that traffic your way instead.
Case Example: How can Local Inventory Ads drive more physical sales?
A customer wants to buy a new pair of running shoes. Your shop offers a "Click and Collect" option so they can come to your physical location and finish the transaction there. But once the customer arrives, the shoes are no longer in stock and the opportunity to sell is lost.
So what happened here?
It is already difficult to get foot traffic in your physical store, make it count!
The main problem here is that the shop did not have a transparent view of their product data and failed to synchronize the inventory of their products across sales channels (in our case from their website to the local shop inventory).
That's what we help you with at Wakeupdata. We make sure that your product data is structured, optimized, and updated at the right time in the right place.
By using Wakeupdata you get seamless onboarding and product data feed management for Local Inventory Ads. We are a trusted Google partner and we want to help you overcome the already difficult times we experience.
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The primary feed is a list of all of the products that you sell with attributes that describe the products. Some attributes are required for all items, some are required for certain types of items, and others are recommended.
The local products inventory feed is a list of the products you sell in each store. Some attributes are required for all items, some are required for certain types of items, and others are recommended.
As stated, this contains a list of all the products you sell in your store - Google provide a list of specifications for this feed, which includes standard title, image and brand, as well as factors unique to LIAs like pickup method and link_template.
If you need to match items across your product feed and local product feed, Google recommends using the same value for ID in your products feed as itemid in you local products feed. If that’s not possible, other matching attributes include:
Check out Google Local Product Inventory Feed requirements here.
1. Once your feeds are built, you must register and upload the feeds to Google.
2. Next, a Google representative will complete an inventory verifaction visit to your store locations to assess you inventory.
3. Finally, you just need to enable 'Local' in your shopping campaign
Within your Google Ads account, select the shopping campaign or Smart Shopping campaign that you want to use for your local inventory ads.
Then, go to Settings > Shopping campaign settings > Additional settings > Local products, check the Enable ads for products sold in local stores box and click Save.
If you are submitting a feed for the first time to Google Merchant Center follow these steps from Google to register your feed or submit your local product inventory through an API.
Once you’ve registered your feed, go to Google Merchant Center to upload it. To find all the steps required to schedule your feed upload go to Google Merchant Center.
Find out more about selling on Google Shopping with WakeupData's award-winning feed management platform.
The results from effective, high-quality Local Inventory ads can be significant.
But to achieve these results, you need to dedicate time and money to be constantly updating and optimizing your various feeds.
The recommendation of Google is to enable your local ads in an existing campaign you have on Shopping. This means that Google can select the most relevant examples from your ads.
Creating entirely new Local Ad campaigns straight away runs the risk of stealing clicks from your existing Shopping ads - so ensure you use an existing campaign first.
To ensure those ads are performing as well as possible, make sure you keep your feeds regularly updated.
That means the Local Products and Product Inventory will need to see frequent updates.
With a feed marketing tool like WakeupData you can make sure feeds are kept up to date as often as you need.
Before you launch into your LIA campaign, it's important to plan your goals.
- Are you wanting to drive more in-store foot traffic?
- Do you want to boost sales for a specific season?
- Are you targeting the sales of certain products?
Related: Google Shopping Feed Checklist: Do's and Don'ts
In a set up you have an option to get free listings for your in-store products. They will appear across the Google Search (including Google Search, Images, the Shopping tab, Maps, and Lens). However, paid ads are always prioritized in the listings and reach more customers. Check the availability for Free Product Listings.
As an official Google partner, WakeupData is an easy choice for retailers wanting perfectly structured product feeds. We are offering seamless onboarding and setup for any LIA campaign.
Visit our Local Inventory Ads page to find out more and get started with high-performing Google Local Inventory Ad campaigns.