Google is rolling out a new type of online advertisement for both desktop and smartphones, which will allow users to see the distance to the nearest physical store offering a particular product.
The advertisements, originally known as Local Product Listing Ads, were rolled out in the US last year, and are now being rolled out to Australia, as well as the UK, France, Germany and Japan.
On local inventory ads, users who search for a product will see an address for the store with the product currently in stock, along with the distance to that store selling the product.
Participating retailers will be required to fill in inventory data including availability, price, and other store-specific information in the Merchant Center, along with any items that are only sold in-store.
At this stage, small businesses will already need to have online products feeds and business information in their Google My Business account, with the company putting up a form for companies interested in participating in the rollout.
“As items go out of stock online and last-minute shipping costs increase, retailers who can provide cost-effective, quick in-store purchase options stand out in the crowd,” Google Shopping product manager Christina Ilvento said in a statement.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
