PMG Digital Made for Humans

Google Announces New & Useful Inventory Features

2 MINUTE READ | May 31, 2016

Google Announces New & Useful Inventory Features

Author's headshot

Martin Rudler

Martin Rudler has written this article. More details coming soon.

Just a week ago, Google quietly announced three big updates:

  • Shopping ads can now be found on the images tab.

  • A “Store Pickup” option can be added to Google hosted product pages.

  • The knowledge panel now includes a link to search all local store inventory.

At the center of the last two is a growing focus on providing better information for keywords with local intent. With oft cited statistics around the growth of “…near me” search queries, Google recently introduced Local Inventory Ads. LIA’s are a useful ad format displaying the availability of specific products in physical stores near you.

Now, they have added yet another local element with a “Store Pickup” link that can be found on the Google hosted product page the user lands on after clicking through the inventory Link.

FitBit-GIFv10

According to Google, participants in the pilot program saw a 40 to 50% increase in click-throughs from the Google hosted page to the retailer’s site with this feature (AdWords Blog).

The second update is a bit broader in scope – Google is incorporating searchable inventory to knowledge panels brought up by local intent keywords. In the example below, a user searches for a nearby Stables, clicks through the “Search items at this store link” and from there can seek out specific products and see their availability in-store. Pretty nifty!

LIA

From a user perspective these are useful new features I’m happy to see added! As a marketer, I’d be curious to see how performance compares (and perhaps have more control) in the various locations shopping ads are now found. As for the local inventory this is very much aligned with the mobile-first direction Google has voiced of late. With Google continuing to push ad formats that support these micro-moments of “I need this now”, late adapters will be forced to wonder (and perhaps worry), at what point will those ads that cater to local intent be explicitly given preferential treatment in the auction environment.

Stay in touch

Bringing news to you

Subscribe to our newsletter

By clicking and subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

More information can be found via the AdWords blog, here.


Related Content

thumbnail image

SEO & Paid SearchAI & MarketingData & TechnologyB2B MarketingPlatforms & MediaDigital Marketing

Google Performance Max Campaigns Now Available to All Advertisers

4 MINUTES READ | November 2, 2021

thumbnail image

Consumer Trends

The Road to Recovery for the Travel Industry

5 MINUTES READ | November 19, 2020

thumbnail image

Maximizing Success with Visual Search

7 MINUTES READ | December 2, 2019

thumbnail image

Google Sunsetting Average Position Metric

2 MINUTES READ | March 11, 2019

thumbnail image

Why Voice Matters

1 MINUTE READ | July 26, 2018

thumbnail image

High Impact Testing – Waze App

4 MINUTES READ | January 23, 2017

thumbnail image

The Latest on Google Shopping Campaigns

3 MINUTES READ | June 2, 2016

thumbnail image

Google Really Wants You to Go “Mobile First”

3 MINUTES READ | September 1, 2015

ALL POSTS