Google adds Store Visits data to AdWords distance & location reports ahead of Black Friday

Google is integrating Store Visits data into more AdWords reporting ahead of the holiday shopping surge. The search giant also shared findings on mobile search trends and store traffic patterns from Black Friday weekend last year.

The Distance report, located under the Dimensions tab, shows store visits based on how far away someone was from a store location (as indicated by an advertiser’s location extensions) when they performed a search and clicked on an ad.

With store visits data available in the geographic and user location reports (located from the Settings tab > Locations tab > “View location reports”), advertisers can see what areas are driving the highest volume of store visits. Advertisers can drill down to the postal code level within these reports.

Having visibility into this data helps further close the online-to-offline loop and can be used to inform location targeting and bid adjustments for areas that are driving store visits.

Retailers with enough ad clicks and in-store traffic volume will see store visits data in Distance reports for Search campaigns now, and it will be available for Shopping campaigns soon. The geographic and user location reports will be rolling out soon as well.

According to Google, on Thanksgiving Day last year, 59 percent of mobile shopping searches occurred before 6 p.m., when many stores opened their doors and in-store foot traffic started to pick up. On Black Friday, in-store foot traffic peaked between noon and 4 p.m. See the infographic below for more insights on Black Friday shopping.

[Click to enlarge.]