Google Local Inventory Ads: why most LIA deployments fail before they perform

Google Local Inventory Ads sometimes called LIA, do they represent the much-vaunted El Dorado for e-commerce businesses?

As is often the case with digital marketing, it's possible: it's all a question of optimization.

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The aim remains to help the most reputable brands improve their online and in-store sales experience in order to increase their conversion rate.

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Offered in Google Ads, Local Inventory Ads aim to Promote the product stock of e-retailers to local audiences, close to their sales outlets.

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Let's explore how an optimized use of these ads makes it possible to make the investment of media campaigns on Google profitable.

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Let's go!

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What are Google Local Inventory Ads?

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Google Local Inventory Ads, or LIA, are advertisements.

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They allow sellers to promote online their products available in physical stores, and this directly on Google.

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In the daily practice of an Internet user doing a local search on Google, he sees these ads appear in the results.

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They show him the products that are available in a nearby store.

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The user can also know information about the status of stocks in real time.

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By making it possible to establish a An instant link between web browsing and the in-store experience, LIAs enable an effective response to the needs of modern consumers.

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Indeed, they often need both quick availability and proximity, while looking for the ease of buying online.

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Very concretely, this means that the Physical in-store traffic may increase drastically, as well as sales.

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What does a Local Inventory Ads look like?

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The composition of a Google Local Inventory Ads ad can vary endlessly, but is made up of both visual and informative elements.

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This Listing includes a photo of the product, as well as its price and information on its availability in stores.

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Optionally, you can find a clickable link to the merchant's product page.

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The principle is that the user, when he clicks on the ad, will be redirected to a local page hosted by Google, presenting a number of additional details about the product and the store where it is located.

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Because they are designed precisely in order to please the user by diverting their attention, AIs are by nature visually appealing and effective from an informational point of view.

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In general, we find them At the top of Google search results, or by opening the Google “Shopping” tab, which increases both their visibility and their conversion potential.

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👉 Read also: 12 simple tips to improve your Google Shopping ranking

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The benefits of using Google Local Inventory Ads

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For online retailers, using Google Local Inventory Ads offers a number of advantages.

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First of all, Google Local Inventory Ads allow for increase in store traffic.

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Indeed, thanks to Google LIAs the consumers are encouraged to visit the store in order to obtain a product that they are certain is physically available.

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Without it, the store would have had fewer customers.

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Second, the AIs lead to an improvement in the customer experience.

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Indeed, the accuracy of the information provided by LIAs, for example with regard to product availability, can make it possible to avoid out-of-stock problems.

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En avoiding disappointments related to product availability, so in stock, the customer experience is more likely to be positive.

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Then, the products visible in Google LIA are becoming more competitive.

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Because succeeding in attracting local buyers is one of the missions of LIAs, your products stand out from online competitors who do not use them.

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So it's a good way to hope to double the competition!

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Finally, Google LIA allows you better stock management.

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For physical retailers who use LIAs, displaying products, sold or not, in real time is a valuable tool.

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Indeed, over-storage and the management of unsold items are always problematic and expensive, use LIA allows you to optimize your stock.

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Thus, LIAs are an integral part of a marketing strategy in their own right.

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They allow retailers to boost their local sales, but also to enhance their presence on the Internet as much as in real life.

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👉 Read also: What is AB Testing?

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How do I launch an announcement?

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The launch of a campaign based on Google Local Inventory Ads requires that a number of important steps be respected.

Here's how to track them:

1. Start by creating a Merchant Center account

To do this, you need register on Google Merchant Center.

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Then proceed to the setting up your account.

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You include information about your physical store, which necessarily includes the products sold there, their prices, and availability.

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2. Set up a feed of local products, by creating a Google LIA feed

The latter must include as detailed information as possible as far as products are concerned, if they are available in stores.

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These include product descriptions, prices, SKUs and of course the quantities available.

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👉 Discover our Dataïads Feed Enrich technology

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3. Establishing the link between Google Ads and Merchant Center

It is essential to be able to take control of your Google LIA campaigns, as this allows them to be managed from Google Ads while maintaining a good overview.

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4. Create the campaign in Google Ads

The new shopping campaign created, you have to start by looking for the option dedicated to Local Inventory.

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Then move on to the configuring targeting settings, your budgets, or even auctions.

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An ad configured properly has every chance of being well optimized, and therefore more visible and efficient.

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5. Monitoring and improving Ads and Google LIA campaigns

By using the reporting and tracking tools included in Google, you will be able to monitor performance in real time ads in LIA.

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In particular, this will allow you to make adjustments, according to the results obtained following a report.

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👉 Read also: Advertising performance and user experience: towards reconciliation?

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Optimize LIA campaigns well

Study the performance reports at the end of your campaigns is therefore essential.

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From the information gathered in this way, you will be able to optimize your in-store ad campaigns in a targeted manner.

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Nevertheless, some ways of optimization can be anticipated.

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Modulate the management of your budgets according to your needs

You have two options: either you Merge the LIA budget and the Google Shopping budget, or you separate them.

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In the first case, this can facilitate the categorization of your products; in the second, you will have more precise control of your expenses.

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Adding a “canal=store” inventory filter to your LIA ads, by creating separate campaigns, allows better control of your budget and an adjustment, if necessary, of your bids.

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Make your ads mobile-friendly

At a time when the vast majority of traffic passes through smartphones, and knowing that your ads are linked to local requests, well Optimizing for mobile is essential.

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The whole ofExperience must be adapted for mobile, from the click on the ad to the purchase process. The landing page plays an important role in conversion.

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Fine-tune the location criteria

This is important because it's easier for consumers to get to a store if it's close by.

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Your bids must be adjusted in order to reach a truly active target, in an area consistent with the location of your store.

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Take into account the opening hours of the store

Common sense dictates that you make your ads visible even when the store is open.

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Also look wider, taking into account events or particular periods such as the end of year holidays, Black Friday or even sales.

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👉 Read also: How to speed up your e-commerce with Product Listing Ads?

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Why and how to improve the ROI of your campaigns with Google Local Inventory Ads

Google Local Inventory Ads is in a position to respond to two important challenges.

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The first of these challenges is to face increasingly fierce competition and competent in acquiring traffic via search engines.

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By diversifying your acquisition methods, you will increase your chances of standing out.

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The second issue is a question ofadaptation to omnichannel consumption phenomena (physical store, delivery, drive to store...), and especially to the generalization of mobile uses.

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In addition, local requests are on the rise, which corresponds to the solutions provided by LIAs.

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Les Announcements: LIA therefore respond to these challenges. in an efficient and inexpensive way, which drastically optimizes the ROI of your shopping campaigns.

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They rely on location history, often activated on smartphones, to trigger relevant ads adapted to the local market.

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This has the effect of increasing both online traffic and store visits, up to double or even triple the ROI.

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Examples of Google Local Inventory Ads

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LIA ads are exploited by some physical store chains, which have seen their results increase drastically.

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Example of Google LIA with Conforama

French leader in furniture and household equipment, saw its ROI more than double after the careful implementation of a LIA shopping campaign.

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Incremental smartphone traffic increased by 36%.

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The PetSmart store chain

Specializing in necessities for domestic animals, was able to increase your turnover by 6% thanks to LIA ads.

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In particular, the company saw a 122% increase in click rates, as well as an improvement in the conversion rate of around 6%.

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IKEA product campaigns in Germany

The IKEA group has chosen the LIA ads to promote products sold in its physical stores in Germany.

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The result was an increase in local turnover by 14%. In detail, the click-through rate increased by 45% and the local impression rate by 31%.

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*****

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Ideal for highlight your physical inventory online, LIA ads target people close to your stores by associating them with their needs expressed via a Google query.

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They are also well adapted to the drive-to-store concept.

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Because they are linked to Google analysis tools, it is easy to measure their impact on your sales, including in-store.

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Some preconditions should be anticipated, such as the Owning a Google Ads account and a Google Merchant Center account, and the fact that Google will need a certain amount of fairly accurate information about your stores, your goods for sale, and various local data.

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Well-conducted LIA ads can have a positive impact on the visibility of your stores, inventories and online sites, and on your turnover.

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