Attributing Retail Store Transactions To Online Clicks At Keyword Level

Updates to Google’s in-store conversion tracking now allow retailers to attribute user engagement at a keyword or ad group level, further expanding advertisers’ ability to see the offline impact of digital marketing.

In recent years, digital media has expanded data-capturing abilities and performance-driven ad features to outperform (and soon, outspend) traditional channels.

Digital advertising has opened new outlets for revenue growth and expanded audience insights beyond data available from traditional channels to assist advertisers in increasing brand awareness and ROI.

Digital Marketing Can Now Fully Support Brick-And-Mortar Sales

Through bridging online and offline data, digital marketing can now fully support brick-and-mortar sales, a segment that previously lacked in digital marketing measurement.

By leveraging the reach of mobile devices alongside the automation and unification of digital platforms, marketers can now see how user engagement continues beyond the click.

Google’s data ties specific content and keywords to offline user engagement to improve conversions and clearly identify the full impact of digital marketing. This transparency expands the connection between content clicks and in-store purchases through improved data accuracy and audience insights.

Google’s recent in-store beta program equipped advertisers with a deeper look into how online engagement stimulates in-store conversions. Advancements to Google’s platform connect store visits at a keyword or ad group level to identify optimal arrangements of content and targeting that drive users to convert.

Additionally, it offers nearly real-time transaction monitoring, allowing marketers to view store visits by day, week or month. This helps brands understand when conversion-focused content is most effective. Improved campaign insights allow for fine-tuning of targeting and delivery.

By integrating search ads with store visit data, retail marketers can see four times as many conversions overall, and 10 times as many on mobile devices.

[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]

Some opinions expressed in this article may be those of a guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Thomas Stern

Thomas Stern leads client strategy and solution development as SVP of Client Services at ZOG Digital. He has over 10 years of digital marketing experience through a range of industries like retail, insurance and travel/hospitality. He has been featured in numerous digital marketing publications, has received graduate level internet marketing education and is a board member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) Arizona.

(Some images used under license from Shutterstock.com.)