Ultimate Guide: Boost Brand Confidence with AI-Powered Google Display Ads in 5 Steps

The retail landscape has undergone a seismic shift, with 88% of Australian retail sales still occurring in physical stores—yet only 12% of those transactions happen without digital influence. This paradox reveals the fundamental truth about today’s consumer behavior: the journey is no longer linear or channel-specific. Shoppers fluidly navigate between streaming content, scrolling social feeds, searching for information, and completing purchases across multiple touchpoints. The Kantar research commissioned by Google ads demonstrates that omnichannel purchases dominate at 52%, while click-and-collect hybrid models account for an additional 18%. Even within store aisles, 70% of Australians use their smartphones for price comparisons, inventory checks, or product research.

I. The Critical Role of Consumer Confidence

Consumer confidence has emerged as the ultimate currency in modern retail. Google’ research reveals that highly confident shoppers spend 1.4X more per transaction and demonstrate 18X higher brand advocacy rates. Yet achieving this confidence has become exponentially harder in today’s environment of information overload and growing skepticism. In APAC markets, 81% of consumers report decision paralysis due to excessive options, while 70% express concerns about misleading product claims. This "confidence gap" poses a significant vulnerability—33% of shoppers in India and Southeast Asia abandon planned purchases because of uncertainty.

The psychology behind this phenomenon reveals why omnichannel strategies outperform siloed approaches. Confidence stems from cumulative validation across multiple trusted sources—what Google Ads terms "confidence cues." These include expert endorsements (87% impact), verified reviews (79%), and crucially, presence on trusted platforms like Google Search (ranked #1 for purchase decision-making across APAC). The trust transference effect means brands appearing on these platforms, including through Google Display Network(GDN), inherit their credibility. For example, YouTube ads are perceived as 23% more trustworthy than social media alternatives in the U.S. market, demonstrating how platform selection directly impacts brand perception.

II. AI-Powered Solutions for Brand Confidence

Google’ AI-driven advertising suite, including Google Display Ads, has become instrumental in bridging the confidence gap at scale. Performance Max campaigns exemplify this by dynamically serving tailored creative assets across Search, Display, YouTube, Maps, and Gmail based on real-time signals. Pandora Jewelry’s ANZ deployment drove a 21% YoY return on ad spend increase, with local inventory ads generating 41% of conversions and 17% store revenue uplift. The AI doesn’t just optimize placements—it predicts which combination of confidence cues (product certifications, inventory availability, expert reviews) will resonate most with specific audience segments.

Smart Bidding algorithms take this further by analyzing thousands of intent signals—from search query semantics to engagement duration with video content—to pinpoint when users enter decisive phases. Philips Domestic Appliances leveraged this in Romania, combining Performance Max with audience signals (YouTube search terms, affinity demographics) to achieve 3X revenue growth across espresso machines and air fryers. Their AI-optimized creatives, amplified by Google Display Ads, highlighted specific product benefits during research phases ("12 coffee varieties at home") rather than generic branding messages, resulting in 8X higher cart additions.

III. Strategic Implementation for Maximum Impact

Successful omnichannel strategies require aligning AI capabilities with journey-phase objectives, and Google Display Network(GDN) can serve as a key enabler in this process. Vertbaudet’s German operations demonstrated this by sequencing YouTube awareness campaigns (400% view increase) with Performance Max conversions, achieving 277% higher back-to-school sales. Their approach recognized that expectant mothers research nursery items months before purchasing—a timeline traditional last-click attribution would miss.

Measurement frameworks must evolve beyond channel-siloed metrics. The 49% ROAS improvement Philips achieved came from valuing store visits equally with online sales. Similarly, when Pandora measured incremental spend from click-and-collect users (46% spent beyond intended budgets), it revealed offline experiences actually amplify digital investments. Smart Bidding for store visits now lets brands like Samsung optimize Search campaigns for physical footfall while simultaneously driving e-commerce—a dual KPI approach that increased their India revenue by 2X, with Google Display Ads playing a pivotal role in bridging online-to-offline intent.

For brands seeking similar precision, solutions like Topkee’s TTO CDP streamline cross-channel campaign management through automated account setup, conversion tracking, and creative collaboration. Advanced tools like Topkee’s TM tracking links provide granular visibility into cross-channel performance, allowing brands to customize tracking by campaign themes, media sources, or accounts.

IV. Future-Proofing Your Marketing Strategy

As consumer expectations escalate, three trends will define winning strategies. First, visual commerce will accelerate—Google Lens processes 20B monthly visual searches globally, 25% with commercial intent. AI Overviews now surfaces product comparisons during research queries, making visual asset optimization non-negotiable for Google Display Ads campaigns. Second, personalization will shift from demographic-based to behavior-predictive. Performance Max’s new customer acquisition goal already targets high-lifetime-value users by modeling first-party data patterns.

Finally, trust-building will become proactive rather than reactive. European retailer Vertbaudet’s 9.5% new customer growth stemmed from pairing educational content (hospital kit guides) with performance ads—a strategy that increased newsletter sign-ups by 8.3% among high-intent parents. This content-performance symbiosis reflects Google Ads’ finding that B2B brands using assertive tonal voices in Google Display Ads see 52% higher desirability—proving emotional connection and utility can coexist even in utilitarian categories.

Topkee’s TAG audience segmentation tool enhances this by analyzing user interaction data to deliver hyper-personalized ad experiences. By aligning with AI-powered bidding strategies, brands can move beyond broad demographics and target users based on real-time intent signals, maximizing conversion efficiency. Topkee’s Weber landing page tool enables similar synergies, ensuring ad-to-content consistency while tracking customer journeys. Tools like Topkee’s TTO campaign management platform streamline execution, automating everything from creative iteration to cross-channel performance analysis, ensuring agility in an evolving landscape.

Conclusion

The retailers thriving in this new paradigm recognize that omnichannel isn’t about presence everywhere—it’s about delivering coherent confidence at every *somewhere* that matters to consumers. By leveraging AI to identify these decisive moments, amplify trust signals through Google Display Ads, and measure cross-channel impact, brands can transform today’s fragmented journeys into competitive advantage. As the lines between discovery and transaction continue to blur, those who empower rather than interrupt shoppers will build the loyalty and profitability that outlasts temporary market shifts.

Appendix:

• Google’s Omnichannel Retail Guide
• Performance Max Campaign Best Practices
• Consumer Behavior Pulse Research