Nissan UK connects search ads to dealership visits with Google AdWords.
Nissan UK has been a leading vehicle manufacturer since 1998, serving both local customers and over 90 additional markets worldwide. As an innovative designer and distributor of popular Nissan models like the Qashqai, Note, Juke, and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF, the company has experienced first-hand how meaningful a car purchase can be for customers. Advertising with AdWords since 2006, Nissan UK has used Search to help market its products online alongside creative marketing campaigns.
“The way customers purchase vehicles is totally different to even just a few years ago”
The carmaker has seen consumer behaviors evolve rapidly in the industry. “The way customers purchase vehicles is totally different to even just a few years ago,” explains Rachel Gregory, Retail Marketing Manager at Nissan UK. With 90% of new car buyers performing their product research online1 before visiting their local dealership, Nissan UK wanted to better understand the customer journey from online-to-offline and use this data to drive more offline conversions. This proved a unique challenge, since 73% of online consumers do not complete an online lead form2. To close this gap, the company began measuring AdWords store visits in April 2015.
Businesses that rely on visits to physical locations—like hotels, auto dealerships, and retail stores—can use AdWords store visits to help see which search keywords and campaigns drive the most store traffic. This helps advertisers like Nissan UK more effectively measure their return on investment (ROI), so they can make informed decisions about ad creative, budgets, bids, and overall marketing strategy.
“Now we are able to find out that someone searched for us and then they went and bought a car - that’s kind of getting close to the Holy Grail.”
Access to store visits data proved invaluable for Nissan UK. The company saw a 4.77% conversion rate from clicks on search ads to store visits, a 6.04% conversion rate on mobile, and it now enjoys an ROI of £25 for every pound spent. Marc Palmer, Nissan UK Marketing Manager said, “Now we are able to find out that someone searched for us and then they went and bought a car - that’s kind of getting close to the Holy Grail.”
Now that Nissan UK can clearly link its online search ads to showroom visits, its dealerships are better prepared to meet visitors with the personal touch that helps to close more sales. Going forward, the company's marketing team plans to leverage store visit data to craft more successful online marketing campaigns.
