Step-by-Step Guide: Use Google Display Ads to Increase Offline Sales

The retail landscape has evolved dramatically, with consumers seamlessly switching between online research and in-store purchases. A 2025 Google study revealed that 78% of shoppers now use multiple channels before buying, underscoring the need for omnichannel strategies. Google Display Ads have emerged as a critical tool to bridge this gap, enabling retailers to retarget online visitors with localized promotions that drive foot traffic. However, challenges persist—many businesses struggle to attribute offline sales to digital campaigns or fail to synchronize inventory data across platforms. This disconnect often leads to missed opportunities, especially for brick-and-mortar stores competing with e-commerce giants.

Google's recent advancements in tag management and first-party data diagnostics (announced in May 2025) address these pain points by enhancing measurement accuracy. For instance, the Google Tag Gateway allows advertisers to host tags on their own servers, improving data resilience and audience insights. These innovations are pivotal for retailers aiming to prove ROI from omnichannel efforts.

I. Leveraging Google Tools for In-Store Sales Growth

Enhancing a Google Business Profile serves as the cornerstone for improving local visibility. Retailers who update profiles with real-time inventory, high-quality images, and accurate operating hours see a 42% higher likelihood of attracting store visits from consumers checking product availability online. For instance, Local Inventory Ads transform Google Search into a virtual storefront, displaying in-stock items to nearby shoppers. These ads eliminate the friction of uncertainty—a major barrier to in-store purchases—by confirming product availability before customers leave home.

Smart Bidding advances this process even more. By leveraging machine learning, it modifies bids according to real - time indicators, including location - based intent and past store visit trends. When paired with Performance Planner, retailers can simulate how budget shifts between online and offline objectives impact overall revenue. The technology also accounts for “research shoppers”—those who browse online but prefer to buy in-store—by serving them tailored creatives highlighting in-store exclusives or same-day pickup options. This precision is critical: Google's data reveals that campaigns optimized for store visits achieve 30% higher conversion rates than generic retail ads.

II. Case Studies: Success Stories in Omnichannel Retail

Neom's campaign demonstrates the power of aligning Google Display Ads with consumer curiosity. Research revealed that only 12% of the audience comprehended what the Saudi large-scale project, Neom, involved. In reaction, Neom made use of YouTube's Masthead and TrueView advertisements to stimulate searches for “What is Neom?”. As a result, brand searches skyrocketed by threefold, and brand sentiment improved by 26 points. The strategy's brilliance lay in its sequencing: teaser videos drove searches, while follow-up explainer content converted interest into website visits. Similarly, German retailer Baur used GA4's Predictive Audiences to identify high-intent shoppers overlooked by traditional CRM segments, yielding a 56% sales lift at 35% lower cost per order.

These cases highlight a shared insight: omnichannel success requires treating digital and physical as interconnected stages of one journey. Ilva's 20% offline sales growth came from bidding strategies that valued store visits as highly as online clicks, while Domino's balanced brand-awareness videos with performance ads to achieve 45% higher ROI. The lesson is that siloed channel strategies forfeit revenue, while integrated campaigns capture latent demand.

III. Strategic Campaign Design for Omnichannel Impact

Effective omnichannel campaigns balance brand-building (top-funnel) and performance (bottom-funnel) tactics. Google/WARC research reveals that allocating 50–60% of budgets to brand initiatives like Google Display Ads drives long-term growth, while 40–50% dedicated to performance tools like Smart Bidding maximizes immediate sales. Marketing mix models are essential here, as they attribute value across the full 24-month customer journey—unlike last-click models that ignore how brand ads prime future purchases.

Custom intent audiences enable precision retargeting. For example, searchers exploring “best running shoes” can later encounter in-stream YouTube ads showcasing a local store's shoe-fitting service. Programmatic ads broaden the scope of outreach across the Google Display Network(GDN). They utilize contextual targeting methods, such as targeting sports blogs, to strengthen and reinforce the promotional message. Retailers should also adopt “always - on” SEM Google campaigns for branded terms, as Neom did, ensuring consistent visibility during both research and decision - making phases.

For retailers seeking to streamline execution, solutions like Topkee's multimedia advertising management offer end-to-end support, from AI-driven creative production to granular performance analysis. Their TTO platform simplifies account initialization, automating tasks like conversion tracking and creative collaboration, while Weber ensures landing page consistency with Google Display Ads messaging to minimize friction. Advanced audience segmentation, powered by TAG, analyzes user behavior to deliver personalized ad experiences, aligning with Google's emphasis on first-party data resilience. Together, these tools enable retailers to deploy adaptive creatives that dynamically highlight in-stock items or local promotions—key to capitalizing on micro-moments in the omnichannel journey.

IV. Future-Proofing Retail Marketing

The rise of AI demands agile strategies. GA4's predictive capabilities, like forecasting 7-day purchase probability, allow retailers to act on signals beyond past purchases—such as app browsing or cart abandonment—then retarget users via Google Display Ads. Meanwhile, Google's new tag gateway enhances first-party data resilience, crucial as third-party cookies phase out. Retailers must also prepare for hybrid behaviors: 68% of shoppers now use smartphones in-store to compare prices or read reviews, per Google data—a moment ripe for Google Display Ads retargeting.

Key 2025 priorities include:

Enhanced flow: Combined fragmented bullet points into cohesive paragraphs while preserving the original examples (Neom, running shoes).
Proper use of Topkee services: Integrated their tools (TTO, Weber, TAG) as solutions to challenges mentioned (e.g., landing page consistency, audience segmentation).
Sharper focus: Emphasized the connection between Google's capabilities and practical execution via third-party tools, avoiding redundancy.
Maintained structure: Kept the section's placement and core themes (audience targeting, budget allocation, measurement) intact.

Conclusion

Omnichannel retail thrives when brands meet consumers wherever they are—online or offline—with consistent, measurable experiences. From Neom's search-powered brand lift to Ilva's in-store sales surge, Google Display Ads and other Google tools prove that digital ads can drive tangible offline results. As shopping journeys grow more complex, retailers who embrace AI, first-party data, and holistic measurement will unlock hidden ROI. For tailored guidance on implementing Google Display Network (GDN) strategies, consult Topkee's professional consultants to transform your omnichannel potential into profit.