Local Inventory Ads and Free Local Listings in Merchant Center

Everything here comes from Google's help pages, mainly the local inventory ads and free local listings overview, the 10-step implementation guide and the local inventory data specification, plus the other pages linked where they are used. Checked on 12 November 2026. For the Merchant Center account and your main product data, see our Merchant Center basics and product feed guides.

Paid ads, free listings, or both

Both run on the same local inventory data in Merchant Center:

• Free local listings are organic product listings on local surfaces across Google Search, Maps, the "Products" tab, and on the Google Business Profile. They include the "See what's in store" unit, which makes a store's stock browsable when someone searches for the store.
• Local inventory ads are paid ads for the same in-store products, run from Performance Max, Shopping or Demand Gen campaigns.

Google's free listings page says you can run either or both, and recommends both. Already running local inventory ads? Then free local listings only need to be switched on in Merchant Center.

Small shops that scan UPC or EAN barcodes at the till have a simpler route in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland: the free Local Inventory app adds in-store products automatically. That route is covered in our Business Profile products guide; this page covers the Merchant Center route.

Who can use them

• You need a physical store where customers can physically visit, view, and purchase the item, in the country you target.
• Members-only shops are not eligible, unless non-members can also buy (submit the non-member price, and member prices through the loyalty program attribute).
• Any fees added at checkout must be in the product price.
• Running the paid ads needs a Google Ads account linked to Merchant Center.

Countries. The overview lists free local listings in 47 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, most of the EU, Japan, India and Brazil, and local inventory ads in a longer list of 93 that adds countries such as Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan. The policies page gives only the shorter list for both programs, so check the overview for your country before planning.

Step one: link your stores

Merchant Center gets your store locations from Google Business Profile. Google's add stores page says linking the two is crucial for local inventory ads and free local listings, because it lets Google verify your locations.

• A Merchant Center super admin adds stores under Settings > Access and services > Apps and services > Add service > Google Business Profile.
• You can link up to 200 Business Profiles. Profiles you do not manage can be linked by sending a request to their owner.
• Each profile's store code is what your inventory data points to, so set clear codes first. Store syncing can take up to 24 hours, so Google recommends uploading inventory 24 hours after linking or after changing a store code.

Your profiles need to be verified; see our verification guide.

Turning on the add-on

In Merchant Center, go to Settings > Add-ons > Your add-ons, open the Free local listings or Local inventory ads card and add a country. Each country then gets a 10-step setup:

1. Load the add-on.
2. Choose the country.
3. Add stores (and optionally a logo and colours, used on Google-hosted pages).
4. Say whether you know stock per store, or can ship products to stores for pickup.
5. Pick your product page experience (see below).
6. Optional: pickup or on-display options.
7. Add inventory data.
8. Germany, Austria and Switzerland only: add your impressum.
9. Verify inventory, if your product pages don't show store stock.
10. Link Google Ads and create campaigns (paid ads only).

Local inventory data

Local inventory is a separate data source, managed under Settings > Data sources > Supplemental sources. It says which store has which product. The data spec marks these attributes:

• The id must match the id in your main product data, and you add one row per product per store.
• The store_code is case-sensitive and must match the code in Business Profile.
• availability takes in_stock, limited_availability, on_display_to_order or out_of_stock, in English.
• A price here overrides the main feed price for that store; submit it when prices differ by store. In the US and Canada leave tax out; elsewhere include VAT or GST.

One difference to know: Google's upload page lists store code, id, quantity, price and availability as required attributes, while the spec marks price as optional. If you can supply store prices and quantities, include them.

Ways to send it, which you can combine:

• a file upload or schedule;
• the Merchant API;
• a local data provider linked to your account;
• automatic inventory, where Google finds in-store availability on your website and adds it;
• ship-to-store, where pickup_sla and pickup_method tell Google what you can send to a store and Google creates the in-store inventory for you.

Google recommends refreshing inventory data at least once a day.

Your product page or a page hosted by Google

Step 5 decides where a click goes. There are three options:

• Product pages with in-store availability: your page lets shoppers check stock at different stores. The price shown comes from your main data source. Google says this also suits single-store shops that show store and online stock together. Google may select this option automatically if it detects store stock on your pages.
• Store-specific product pages: your page loads the price and stock for one store from the Business Profile store code in the URL. You add a link_template attribute with the {store_code} ValueTrack parameter; products without it are disapproved.
• Hosted by Google: if your site doesn't show store stock, or you have no product pages, Google builds a page with the product, its store price and availability, and store details. It requires inventory verification, and it does not work with the pickup options.

Product page experiences work with local inventory ads in every supported country. For free local listings they are supported in 26 countries listed in the implementation guide, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

Store pickup and products on display

• Pickup today: for products customers can buy or reserve online and collect the same or next day. Your page or checkout must show the pickup option and timing, customers must be able to order on your site, any pickup fee must be shown, and you must send a ready-for-pickup notice. Google switches the label to "pickup tomorrow" near closing time, based on the hours in your Business Profile.
• Pickup later: for items shipped to a store, with pickup_sla from next day to multi-week. A product-data version works without full store inventory.
• On display in store: for items people view in the shop but receive by delivery, such as large furniture. Use availability on_display_to_order, and give a URL with delivery times, shipping cost and policy. Google reviews that URL, which can take up to a week, and you can turn it on only once local listings or ads are already live.

The data spec adds a deadline: from 30 September 2026, pickup_cost is required in the UK, EU and EFTA countries if you charge for pickup, and products without it could be disapproved.

Inventory verification

Inventory verification checks that your data matches the shelf. It is not required if you were approved for either kind of product page with store availability; with the Google-hosted page you need one verification.

• Add a verification contact in the add-on setup, confirm their email, then request verification. The button becomes available within 48 hours once stores, product data and inventory data are in.
• Someone in the store gets a link to 100 products from your data, enters their price and availability, and photographs some labels and shelf prices.
• It takes about 2 hours per store, and the form must be finished the same business day.
• Google may ask for re-verification after you go live.

Running local inventory ads in Google Ads

Per Google's enable local products page, once a local inventory source is set up, local inventory ads serve by default in Performance Max and Shopping campaigns that use that Merchant Center account. In Demand Gen campaigns with a product feed, local products are a creative add-on for YouTube.

Which ad shows depends on stock and on where the shopper is:

The Google Ads and Merchant Center pages also carry a notice that local inventory ads will soon run by default in Shopping campaigns, and ask advertisers who want separate online and local budgets to review their settings before August 2026. In Standard Shopping, the click type segment splits "Shopping - Product - Online" from "Shopping - Product - Local". Make sure campaign location targeting covers the areas around your stores. Campaign setup itself is in our Shopping campaigns and Performance Max guides.

Policy rules that differ from Shopping ads

Shopping ads policies apply, with two exceptions: no online checkout is required, and no shipping information is needed. On top of that come the store, membership, fee and country rules above, and a ban on sending customers' personal data in any local inventory data. If products show as "Limited" or disapproved for missing inventory data, check that a local inventory data source is submitted. Account-level issues are covered in our Merchant Center diagnostics guide.

Our view

This is our own opinion, not Google's guidance. For most shops the first win is free local listings with accurate daily stock, before any ad spend. Get the store codes and ids right once, because almost every error comes from a mismatch there. If your site can show store stock, use your own product pages: you skip verification and can add pickup. If it can't, the Google-hosted page is a fair way to start, as long as someone can do the in-store check.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between local inventory ads and free local listings?

Both show your in-store products to nearby shoppers from the same local inventory data. Free local listings are organic and cost nothing; local inventory ads are paid and run from Performance Max, Shopping or Demand Gen campaigns. Google recommends using both.

Do I need a website for local inventory ads?

No. With in-store product and price availability hosted on Google, Google builds a page with your store price and stock. You must pass inventory verification, and pickup options are not available with it.

What is a store code in local inventory data?

The unique code of each store in your Google Business Profile. It is case-sensitive, up to 64 characters, and must match exactly in the local inventory data.

How often should I update local inventory data?

Google recommends refreshing it at least once a day and updating price and availability changes as often as you can.

Do local inventory ads run in Performance Max?

Yes. If the linked Merchant Center account has local inventory data, local inventory ads serve by default in Performance Max and Shopping campaigns that use it.

Running offers in store? See Merchant Center promotions, which apply to local inventory ads with an in_store redemption channel.

Want product pages that show store stock and support pickup? See our website development service and all our services, or email [email protected].