The Click Happened Online. Did the Sale Happen in Store?

An ad gets the click. The store gets the sale. Who gets the credit? In this May 2017 CNBC discussion, Matt Britton examines Google’s attempt to connect digital advertising with purchases made offline.

The attribution tool described in the segment used third-party providers of aggregated, anonymized credit-card transaction data. The aim was to connect exposure to an ad on a Google property with a later purchase from that advertiser. As Matt explains it, the match established that a transaction occurred, rather than identifying the exact item purchased.

At the time, fewer than 15% of retail transactions took place online. Showing that digital advertising influenced store sales therefore opened a much larger measurement opportunity than clicks alone.

Privacy is central to the discussion. Matt argues that consumers weigh access to their data against the relevance of the experience they receive. He describes Millennials as more accustomed to that exchange, while noting that older consumers may be particularly concerned about financial identity theft.

The conversation also considers Facebook’s behavioral data. Matt predicts that information collected through platform interactions could inform advertising beyond Facebook, including television, billboards and other digital properties.

The segment captures an important measurement question of its time: could advertising platforms demonstrate a connection between the screen and the checkout? For brands, the answer would change both how campaigns were evaluated and where budgets went.