In an effort to help them do that, Google last year started reporting cross-device data in AdWords. Now, it’s revealing some of the conversion uplift benchmarks it has seen across multiple industries and in four countries.

According to the search giant, travel companies in the United States see a 14% uplift in search ad conversions when cross-device data is evaluated.

In the retail space in the United States, the uplift is even higher: search ad conversions increase by 16%.

Consistently, companies in the travel, retail, automative and CPG industries in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Germany see search ad conversions increase by anywhere from 4% to 16% when cross-device tracking occurs.

Cross-device conversion reporting comes to DoubleClick

Meaningful uplifts are also seen when cross-device data is used to evaluate display ad conversions. For example, retailers in the United Kingdom realized a 12% uplift in conversions. So it’s no surprise that Google has decided to bring cross-device measurement to its display ad network, DoubleClick.

According to Neal Mohan, Vice President of Video and Display Advertising at DoubleClick:

Cross-device measurement is coming to all of our DoubleClick advertiser products, so marketers can measure conversions that start as a click on one device and end with a conversion on another for all their campaigns across the web, not just with the ads they buy from Google.

For marketers, this is a big deal. Not only is cross-device measurement crucial to accurately determining conversion ratios and optimizing campaigns, it’s going to be increasingly important for marketers looking to better understand how consumers are interacting with multiple devices so that they can craft campaigns and experiences that align well to the paths that drive meaningful action.

For this reason, cross-device conversion metrics will soon be difficult for marketers to ignore, and ad platforms that can’t or don’t offer them may find themselves at a significant disadvantage as marketers seek out platforms that are best capable of convincing them that their spend is producing a return.