Google is launching in-car ads, a format already available in the U.S. and Canada
In the digital age, it seems obvious that people looking to buy a vehicle research it online before making their purchase. And the statistics confirm this. According to figures provided by Google, 89% of buyers research their new vehicle online. Just like the search for information, the percentage of vehicles purchased online is also increasing. In 2021, 16% of new vehicle buyers purchased their car online, compared with only 1% 3 years earlier.
When considering any purchase, today’s consumers are looking for a simple, fast, and useful experience, and car buyers are no exception. Providing vehicle ads containing relevant information and keeping inventory up to date to reach a qualified audience is the challenge facing automotive advertisers. And it was with this in mind that, last March, Google announced the launch of its vehicle ads.
What are they? Who are they intended for? How do they work? We answer all your questions in this new post.
What Are Google Ads Vehicle Ads?
Vehicle ads allow automotive advertisers to promote their entire inventory to users searching for a vehicle on Google. By displaying vehicles available for purchase nearby, this new tool increases their sales by optimizing both online conversions (leads) and offline conversions (store visits). In this way, Google improves the customer buying experience while helping automotive advertisers reach more qualified prospects.
In practice, this ad format displays an image of the vehicle accompanied by customizable and relevant information such as the make, model, price, mileage, and advertiser name. When a customer clicks on one of these ads, they are redirected to the vehicle description page on the advertiser’s website, where they can then take other actions, such as contacting the advertiser or completing a lead form, before visiting the dealership.
Who Is This New Ad Format Intended For?
These ads are designed to promote the sale of inventory from dealerships and resellers. Private sellers, individuals, and automotive brokers therefore do not have access to them.
Accepted Vehicle Types
Only new and used non-commercial passenger vehicles, such as cars or pickup trucks (utes in Australia), can be listed. The following vehicles are not accepted: motorhomes, commercial vehicles, agricultural vehicles, buses, two-wheelers, trains, boats, aircraft, or utility terrain vehicles (UTVs).
Currently Limited Geographical Availability
This new advertising format is currently available in the United States and in limited beta in certain countries, such as Canada and Australia. No launch date has yet been announced for France or Europe.
How Does It Work?
To run vehicle ads, advertisers must create Smart Shopping campaigns in Google Ads and link their account to a Merchant Center account. The main step is to upload a data feed containing the inventory of available vehicles to Merchant Center. The advertiser must customize it by providing relevant information for each vehicle, including the make, model, price, mileage, and color. This information is essential so that Google can then match and display the most relevant ads in the search results of users with a strong intent to buy a car.
How Can Feed Manager Help You?
As experts in Feed Management, we can support you from the creation of your vehicle data feed to its implementation in your Google accounts, all the way through to the launch of your campaigns thanks to our Labelium Media team in Bordeaux.
Our Account Managers manage our clients’ product catalogs and feeds on a daily basis: checking that feeds are imported correctly, optimizing product data, implementing strategic optimizations dedicated to campaign management, regularly reporting on feed status, conducting strategic monitoring, and adapting data to Google’s algorithm.
To benefit from our expertise in structuring feed data and improve the distribution and performance of your catalog, we invite you to contact our Business Developer: lucas@labelium.com.
