Google is piloting Local Coupons, a Search ads product that shows nearby shoppers discounts at local stores and saves the coupon to their phone’s wallet for use at the register, Google Customer Solutions vice president Selin Song said in a LinkedIn post. Retailers pay Google only when a shopper actually uses the coupon at checkout, which gives them a direct way to tie a search ad to an in-store sale instead of estimating store visits. Each coupon carries a unique code, and the register checks it at scan time so it can’t be redeemed twice. Google hasn’t said which retailers are in the pilot or when it will open more widely.
