From Search to Shop: Co-op’s grocery omnichannel measurement

The Challenge

Co-op, a leading UK grocery retailer, faced a challenge; despite its strong digital presence and advanced measurement systems, the company struggled to see how digital media spending affects offline customer actions such as in-store visits and food sales. Standard digital metrics such as clicks, online orders and online revenue did not show the full value of paid search, especially when customers had completed their in-store shop. This gap made it harder to measure the effect of digital ads on store visits and overall sales. The need for a privacy-focused approach to data handling was very important, especially when connecting member data to advertising platforms such as Google.

Co-op’s leadership and marketing teams recognised the importance of proving the incremental value provided by digital channels, especially paid search which commanded about a third of the spend for this campaign, and sought a solution.

The challenge Co-op marketers faced was to develop a measurement framework that could accurately showcase the impact of digital activity on both online and offline outcomes such as store visits and food sales, whilst ensuring privacy, scalability, sustainability and a great brand experience remained at the core of their approach.

The Solution

Co-op partnered with data collaboration network LiveRamp to implement a privacy-centric, first-party data solution that connects their Co-op Member programme to Google’s advertising platform.

Using LiveRamp’s data collaboration platform, Co-op were able to match first-party data to digital advertising solutions such as search to offline transactions and store visits.

This created Co-op’s first closed-loop omnichannel measurement framework, delivering insights such as;

• Identifying which search campaigns generated the highest offline revenue
• Understanding how messaging, keywords and tactics influenced footfall
• Measuring the true ROI of PPC by including in-store transactions alongside online metrics.

The Results

The results were impressive;

77% uplift in store visits

The campaign resulted in a remarkable 77% uplift in store visits among those who were exposed to digital advertising. By connecting online ad exposure to real-world footfall, Co-op gained clear evidence that its digital campaigns were driving more customers into stores, closing the gap between digital investments and offline results

134% increase in store sales

There was a 134% increase in store sales among the group who saw the advertising. This demonstrated that beyond simply encouraging visits, the campaign effectively motivated customers to make purchases, highlighting the powerful influence of targeted digital ads on in-store revenue.

39:1 return on investment

Additionally, the campaign delivered a highly impressive 39:1 return on search campaign investment. This exceptional ROI proved that the new measurement framework and privacy-led data integration allowed Co-op to maximise its marketing efficiency, justifying the value of its digital spend.