Google Ads local ecommerce tips
Want to drive both online sales and in-store pickups? This article explains how to set up Google Ads local ecommerce campaigns the smart way.
E-commerce isn’t just about shipping products nationwide. If you’ve got physical stores alongside your online presence, local e-commerce campaigns can be incredibly powerful for driving both online sales and in-store pickups.
Let me walk you through how to set up e-commerce campaigns that leverage your local presence for better performance.
Local Inventory Ads: Your Competitive Advantage
Local inventory ads can be challenging to set up, but they’re worth the effort. You’ll see retailers like B&Q and Argos doing this brilliantly – their Shopping ads show “In store” or “Available for pickup in 2 hours.”
This bridges the gap between online browsing and offline purchasing, which is exactly what local customers want.
Integration Methods:
If you’re using point-of-sale systems like Squarespace, Shopify POS, or similar, you can integrate directly with Google Merchant Centre. This automatically syncs your in-store inventory with your Google Ads.
For those without direct integration, there’s the supplementary feed option. You’ll need three elements:
- Product ID (same as your online catalogue)
- Store Code (from your Google Business Profile)
- Availability (in stock/out of stock)
Here’s how it works: if you sell trainers and the product ID is “trainers-001,” you’d list:
- trainers-001, store-code-manchester, in-stock
- trainers-001, store-code-liverpool, out-of-stock
- trainers-001, store-code-birmingham, in-stock
Even though you’re repeating the product ID, pairing it with different store codes tells Google exactly which products are available where.
Campaign Structure – by product or location?
While the popular choice is to structure campaigns by product type, we can also do so by location.
Why this works for e-commerce:
Stock Levels: Your Manchester store might have plenty of winter coats in stock, while your Brighton store sold out weeks ago. Location-based campaigns let you adjust budgets accordingly.
Local Competition: An electronics store in central London faces different competition than one in rural Yorkshire. Your bidding strategies will need to reflect this.
Shipping vs Pickup: Some locations might drive more “buy online, pick up in store” traffic, while others generate more home deliveries. You can optimize for these different customer behaviours.
Local Promotions: Running a clearance sale at one location? Boost that campaign’s budget without affecting your other stores.
Performance Max for Local E-commerce
Within Performance Max, you can optimize for store visits alongside online transaction/revenue conversions. This gets you the promoted pin on Google Maps – a square pin with your brand logo that shows store information, offers, opening hours, plus “call” and “get directions” call-to-actions when clicked.
The key is setting up your asset groups properly. Include:
- High-quality product images
- Store-specific headlines mentioning local areas
- Descriptions that highlight both online and in-store options
- Local landing pages that show store information
Store Visits: Bridging Online and Offline
Store visit tracking is crucial for local e-commerce because it captures the full customer journey. Someone might see your ad, click through to browse products online, then visit your store to see items in person before purchasing.
Attribution Rules: Store visits are attributed to the click date, not the visit date. If someone clicks your ad on March 31st and visits your store on April 2nd, that visit appears in March’s data, not April’s.
This is important for month-end reporting. Always look back at previous weeks’ and months’ data to capture delayed store visits.
Eligibility Requirements: You need verified Google Business Profile locations, location assets enabled in campaigns, and your ads account linked to your business profile. Google handles the rest, but approval isn’t guaranteed.
The Data Threshold Challenge: Google doesn’t publish exactly what triggers store visit eligibility, but in my experience, businesses with multiple locations and those located in high foot traffic areas get approved more quickly (i.e. in town centres vs out-of-town industrial estates).
I’ve got one e-commerce client spending £10k+ monthly, but because they’re on a quiet trading estate, they still haven’t qualified for store visit tracking. Meanwhile, a smaller client on a busy high street qualified within weeks.
Revenue Optimisation with Store Visits
If you’re running Target ROAS or Maximise Conversion Value campaigns, assign a monetary value to store visits.
Calculate this using your in-store conversion rate and average order value. If 10% of store visitors make a purchase and your average order value is £50, set your store visit value at £5.
This tells Google’s algorithm that store visits matter for revenue, not just online conversions. Without this, Google might optimise purely for online sales and ignore the offline impact of your ads.
Local E-commerce Landing Page Strategy
Create location-specific landing pages that combine e-commerce functionality with local information:
- Product availability at nearby stores
- Click-and-collect options with timing
- Store opening hours and contact details
- Local delivery options and costs
- In-store exclusive offers or services
Test these against generic product pages. Often, the local context increases conversion rates because customers feel more confident about returns, exchanges, and customer service.
Seasonal and Event-Based Optimisation
Local e-commerce campaigns should reflect local events and seasonality:
- Back-to-school campaigns near schools
- Christmas shopping campaigns near shopping centres
- Summer outdoor gear near coastal or countryside stores
- Business supplies near office districts during weekdays
Adjust your campaign schedules and budgets to match local shopping patterns.
Getting Started
Start by connecting your e-commerce platform to Google Merchant Centre, then link everything to your Google Business Profile. Set up location assets in your campaigns and begin with presence-only targeting.
If you’ve got multiple locations, create separate campaigns for each area so you can optimise budgets based on local stock levels and competition.
Local inventory ads take more setup time, but they’re worth it for the competitive advantage. Your customers get the convenience of online browsing with the confidence of local availability, and you get better campaign performance from showing exactly what’s available where.
The future of e-commerce is local, and Google Ads gives you all the tools you need to connect online shoppers with your physical stores.
For more insights, visit our Knowledge Hub for practical digital marketing tips.
Further reading: Google Ads Support
