Google Local Coupons is a new Google Ads feature that aims to help you drive in-store traffic. Ads appear across Google Search for locals searching for products like yours and include a unique code that customers can redeem at checkout at your locations.

You can set up and manage Google Local Coupons promotions directly from your Retail POS account.

Google Local Coupons integration is now in closed early pilot and available for select U.S. accounts in the United States English only.

If your Retail POS plan does not include promotions, setting up Google Local Coupons is not available.

How Google Local Coupons work

Google Local Coupons help promote your business and bring nearby customers into your outlets. When a potential customer searches across Google Search for your promotion target nearby (for example, "shoe store"), they might see a Google Local Coupons ad showing:

• Your business name and location
• Discount amount or percentage you offer
• What type of product promotion applies to (for example, "Shoes" or "Sneakers")
• Promotion dates and Terms & Conditions

Example of a Google Local Coupons ad

A customer can then click the Claim offer button to copy a single-use promo code and present it at checkout in your store. The cashier will redeem the code via the Retail POS, just as they do with regular promo codes.

How you get billed for Local Coupons ads

Compared to Google Ads campaigns charged per click or impression, with Google Local Coupons, you only get billed after a customer actually redeems a promo code in your store.

You set a bid, which is the maximum amount you are willing to pay per in-store coupon redemption. You also set a monthly spending cap and will never be charged more than this amount per month. If no one redeems a coupon, the bill is $0.

Billing for Google Local Coupons happens entirely between you and Google in a monthly invoicing cycle. Lightspeed does not charge you for launching or running the campaign.

Connecting the Google Local Coupons app in Retail POS

To start creating Google Local Coupons promotions in Retail POS, you need to connect the Google Local Coupons app.

Before installing the Google Local Coupons app, make sure you have a verified Google Business Profile account associated with your email. The address and business info recorded in Retail POS must match your GBP profile information. If you want to use a different email, ensure it is already added as a manager on your Business Profile.

To connect the Google Local Coupons app:

1. From Retail POS, navigate to Setup > Apps.

2. Click the Directory tab.

   

3. In the Engage with customers section, click Connect under Google Local Coupons.

   

4. Review the app access permissions and click Approve access to agree, then click Continue.
5. A pop-up will open, inviting you to sign in with Google. Review its contents before clicking Continue.
6. You will be redirected to the Google sign-in screen. Make sure you sign in with the email associated with the Google Business Profile you use for your business.
7. Allow Lightspeed to access information about your email address and see, edit, create, and delete your Google business listings.

8. A new Google Ads account managed by Lightspeed will be created automatically. It will be used for running Google Local Coupons campaigns you set up via Retail POS. Check your inbox to accept the invitation to join the new Google Ads account.

   Optionally, you can proceed to Step 10 and join the account later.

9. Log in to the new Google Ads account you agreed to join and add your billing information. It will be used to charge you for Google Local Coupons campaigns. You can also specify billing information later by logging in to your account from the Google Ads webpage.
10. In the Google Local Coupons app screen, click Create promotion to set up your first campaign.

Your Google Local Coupons campaigns won’t go live before you join the new Google Ads profile created for you and add billing information to it.

Creating Google Local Coupons promotions in Retail POS

After connecting the Google Local Coupons app, you can set up your first campaign from Retail POS.

Google Local Coupons campaigns are managed only from Retail POS. Managing promotions from the new Google Ads account created for you during app connection is not supported.

To create a Google Local Coupons promotion:

1. From Retail POS, navigate to Setup > Apps.
2. On the Connected tab, find the Google Local Coupons app and click the pencil icon next to it.

3. Click Create promotion.

   

4. On the page that opens, specify:
   • Promotion name that will appear in the promotions list in Retail POS and in your receipts;
   • Promotion target to broadly describe the type of products your promotion applies to. Please use single words or short phrases. For example, “sneakers” or “shoes”, or “sneakers and shoes”. If you mention several product types as your target (like in "sneakers and shoes”), the ad may be shown in searches for each of the individual product types (for example, if a potential customer searches for sneakers only);
   • Terms & Conditions of your store that apply to this promotion. You can use the default T&C template or adjust it to your needs;
   • Campaign total budget that is the maximum total amount you’re willing to spend on all coupon redemptions throughout this promotion;
   • Target Cost Per Action (CPA) that is the maximum amount you’re willing to pay Google for each customer who redeems a coupon at checkout in your store;
   • Outlet where the coupons can be redeemed. You will need to match a verified location in your Google Business Profile with a corresponding POS outlet.
   • Date to specify the period when the campaign is active, the ads appear in Google Searches, and codes can be redeemed at checkout in your outlet.

   • Discount amount as a fixed sum or a percentage, and Products this promotion applies to. You can choose all products in your catalog or a specific product category.

     This type of promotion cannot be applied to specific SKUs, brands, or individual products.

5. Tick the Offer Loyalty box if you want to allow customers to earn Loyalty rewards with this promotion.
6. Click Save.

The promotion will be reviewed and approved by Google, which may take up to 3 business days. Until then, the campaign will not be active. Make sure you set up billing for the Google Ads account created for your Local Coupons campaigns, otherwise the promotion will not go live. You can check the promotion status on the Products Promotions page in Retail POS.

Editing Google Local Coupons promotions

Once a Google Local Coupons promotion you’ve created in Retail POS is active, it cannot be edited. To change any promotion details, like discount amount or dates, you need to pause the current promotion and create a new one from scratch.

For existing inactive promotions, you can edit the promotion name and whether Loyalty points can be earned. For that, go to the Products > Promotions page in Retail POS and click the pencil icon next to the promotion.

Redeeming Google Local Coupons codes via retail POS

You redeem single-use codes generated during Google Local Coupons campaigns like you redeem regular promo codes. The codes are only valid during the active promotion period. Once the promotion ends, codes can no longer be redeemed.

If your hardware supports barcode scanning, your customers can also show the barcode they obtained after clicking Claim offer in the Google Local Coupons ad. 

Scanning barcodes works with the iPad register and the web register with a scanner device. It is not available in the Scanner app on iPhone.

To redeem a Google Local Coupons code:

1. From Retail POS, navigate to the Sell screen.
2. On the Sell screen, process the sale as normal.

3. Click Promo code and add the promo code to the sale.
   To add the promo code via barcode scanning, make sure the promo code text field in the pop-up is active (as if you were going to type the code in manually). After scanning, the code will be entered automatically into the promo code field.

   If the promo code pop-up is closed and you try to scan a promo code, the code won’t be added.

Viewing promo codes redeemed during a promotion

You can view a list of promo codes redeemed during your Google Local Coupons promotion at any time.

To view redeemed promo codes:

1. From Retail POS, navigate to Products > Promotions.
2. Find your Google Local Coupons promotion in the list and click it.
3. Click View promotion.

4. Scroll down to the Promo codes redemption block and click the promo codes link.

   

5. A pop-up will open showing all redeemed promo codes and their redemption dates.

Viewing the promotion statistics report

You can access a Google Ads dashboard with a report on the results and performance of your Google Local Coupons promotion at any time.

To view a promotion statistics report:

1. From Retail POS, navigate to Products > Promotions.
2. Find your Google Local Coupons promotion in the list and click it.
3. Click View promotion.

4. In the Promotion performance block, click View promotion results.

   

5. Log in with the email associated with your Google Business Profile to view the report page on Google.

Ending promotions before their expiration date

You can end a Google Local Coupons promotion before the expiration date you’ve set when creating it. For example, if you’ve almost spent the budget you’ve planned for this campaign, you may want ads to stop appearing on Google.

To end a promotion early:

1. From Retail POS, navigate to Products > Promotions.
2. Find your Google Local Coupons promotion in the list and click it.
3. Click View promotion.

4. On the opened page, scroll to the bottom and click End promotion early.

   

5. Confirm that you want to end the promotion. This action cannot be undone.

After you end the promotion, Google will stop showing this promotion and distributing promo codes within 3 business days. Promo code redemption via Retail POS will become unavailable immediately.

Disconnecting the Google Local Coupons app from Retail POS

You can disconnect the Google Local Coupons app from Retail POS at any time. In this case, Google will stop showing your active promotions and distributing promo codes within 3 business days. Promo code redemption via Retail POS will become unavailable immediately.

To disconnect the Google Local Coupons app:

1. From Retail POS, navigate to Setup > Apps.
2. On the Connected tab, find Google Local Coupons and click the trash icon next to it.
3. Confirm that you want to disconnect the app.