Driving Local Impact at Scale for MKM Building Supplies

MKM is a national brand built on local relationships. The website offers an extensive range of products and services, but branches set their own pricing locally, and stock availability varies by location. Historically, platform guidance suggested that a branch-by-branch approach would be too complex to execute at scale for a merchant with this many SKUs.

To succeed, digital would need to accomplish three things simultaneously. It had to improve local visibility for priority branches, connect customers to nearby in-stock products, and demonstrate a clear link between online investment and real-world outcomes, such as branch visits and sales.

What they needed from us:

• Launch Local Inventory Ads for selected branches to prove impact before scaling.

• Build and manage branch-level product feeds with accurate stock and price data.

• Create a campaign structure separating national and local activity for transparent reporting and budget management.

• Track both online behaviours and offline outcomes, including branch visits and in-branch sales signals.

• Produce a repeatable framework that branch directors could understand and champion.

We designed a tightly controlled pilot that quickly proved value, yielded the right learnings, and laid the foundation for scale.

Key elements of our approach included:

• Selecting 5 pilot branches based on location and appetite for digital activity. Starting small allowed us to validate the model before expanding.
• Building branch-level product feeds with Feedonomics and MKM’s internal development team. Each feed reflected live, local prices and stock so that ads could surface the right products for nearby customers.
• Designing a bespoke account structure that ring-fenced branch campaigns from national activity. This provided clear visibility into local performance and protected brand efficiency at the group level.
• Optimising data quality and search relevance by enriching feed attributes, improving categorisation, and tightening product titles. This ensured Local Inventory Ads were triggered for the most relevant searches in each catchment.
• Timing the pilot to seasonal demand by launching ahead of spring and summer, with a priority on landscaping, building materials and timber categories where we expected stronger intent.
• Creative and copy testing to highlight local availability and branch expertise, positioning MKM as both a trusted national brand and the best local option for trade and DIY customers.
• Robust measurement using Google’s shop visit metric alongside on-site behaviours. We also tracked in-branch signals and local feedback for the products in focus, allowing us to link activity to real outcomes.
• Weekly optimisation to shift budget into the highest performing categories and queries, refine geo targeting, and improve product coverage as stock and pricing moved.
• Supporting MKM to create a clear playbook and education framework, giving branch directors visibility of how campaigns worked, what success looked like, and how digital spend supported their goals. This built trust and engagement across the business.

Additional Results:

The pilot quickly showed that local digital campaigns could deliver meaningful outcomes for MKM. From increased site visits to measurable in-branch activity, the model demonstrated its value, providing directors with the confidence to support expansion.

Our work showed beyond doubt that local digital campaigns could deliver measurable outcomes for MKM. Performance improved across every key area, from web sales and paid media returns to branch visits and branch-level engagement.

Key outcomes included:

• Web sales increased by 47% year-on-year, demonstrating the impact of digital activity on overall revenue, alongside other website optimisations.
• Paid media revenue up 156%, proving the channel could scale profitably with a strong return on investment
• Local Inventory Ads delivered clear profitability, with every pound invested generating incremental growth.
• Branch visits increased ninefold compared to the previous year, demonstrating the direct link between digital campaigns and real-world customer foot traffic.
• Adoption of digital expanding significantly, from 5 pilot branches to 37, investing actively within months, with a broader rollout planned. 
• Cultural change across the business, with increased advocacy from Branch Directors, increased adoption of the playbook, asking for more campaigns, and sharing successes with colleagues.

This campaign marked a shift in mindset across MKM, embedding digital into the way branches think about growth and setting a course for continued expansion.