Google announced the expansion of its local inventory ads to additional countries and formats. The ads are now available in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia.

“More and more people turn to search to plan their local shopping trips,” says product manager Christina Ilvento. “In fact, 83% of shoppers would be more likely to visit a store if they could check the availability of an item online beforehand. Since we launched local inventory ads in the US last fall, many savvy retailers have taken advantage of the opportunity to promote their store items to nearby shoppers on Google.”

“We have also expanded support for store-only products and campaigns to desktop devices, enabling retailers to promote stores to the right customers at the right time,” Ilvento says. “For example, you can prioritize showing local products to get shoppers in your doors during the weeks and days leading up to the holidays. As items go out of stock online and last-minute shipping costs increase, retailers who can provide cost-effective, quick in-store purchase options stand out in the crowd.”

Google has a participation overview for local inventory ads available here. This discusses eligibility, how they work.

There’s also a form you can fill out here if you’re interested in signing up to use the ads.