While ads in Google image searches and several other updates aren’t available in Canada yet, the company believes brands here will be particularly interested in one that’s coming soon: local inventory ads designed to help consumers get a better look at what’s in stock and ready for pickup.
Google this week announced a test of Purchases on Google and inventory search from the local Knowledge Panel, among other enhancements. However the company told Marketing the updates to local inventory ads, or LIAs, will mean merchants can add a store pickup link in a Google-hosted product page, which consumers would visit after clicking on the LIA. There was no firm date for availability but the company said it would be bringing it here in the future.
“The availability of that info within ads will benefit retailers, especially given that Canadian consumer habits are big on researching online, but buying/picking up in store,” Google reps told Marketing via e-mail, citing Consumer Barometer Research that shows 20% of Canadians who use the Internet to help make their purchase decisions are looking specifically for product availability/where to buy online. “That’s two percentage points higher than the U.S.,” Google Canada added.
The company was not available for interviews and did not give a date on when Canadian retailers would be able to take advantage of a “Search items at this store” link in the consumers’ local Knowledge Panel to see whether particular items are in stock at their local stores. However the company said Kohl’s, a participant in the Store Pick-up pilot program, saw a 40 to 50% increase in clicks from their Google local storefront to the Kohl’s site with LIAs.
International retailers already making use of LIAs include the U.K. chain Argos, whose digital marketing controller told the local trade publication Post and Parcel the feature allowed it to better focus its advertising efforts. “It also allows us to capitalise on strong in-store conversion and cross-sell other products that they may see while in store,” the exec said.
Canadian search interest in “near me” has increased by 400% since January of last year, Google said, indicating how important it believes LIAs will become here.
