Exciting news from Google this week with the announcement of free listings in Google Shopping. It will be available in the US from the end of April 2020 and will roll out to the rest of the world by the end of the year. This is great news for already cash strapped merchants looking to promote their products online. Up until now, you had to pay to have your products displayed in front of the millions of shoppers that use Google Shopping.
As a current Google Shopping Ads customer, you will still be able to run ads on Google Shopping for top placements in categories. But from now on your full catalog will be displayed which is a big plus for retailers.
For retailers, this change means free exposure to millions of people who come to Google every day for their shopping needs. For shoppers, it means more products from more stores, discoverable through the Google Shopping tab. For advertisers, this means paid campaigns can now be augmented with free listings. If you’re an existing user of Merchant Center and Shopping ads, you don't have to do anything to take advantage of the free listings, and for new users of Merchant Center, we'll continue working to streamline the onboarding process over the coming weeks and months.” Full press release
Google also announced a partnership with Paypal that will help users speed up the linking of accounts. Integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce is also in the works. This will simplify the process of getting your product onto the shopping platform. Getting your products set up for a Google Merchant account can be tricky for some users so the easier the integration the better.Â
This is a bold move by Google and one that will be much welcomed by online businesses.
This strategic shift by Google is certainly a shot across the bow of other e-commerce giants such as Amazon & Wallmart. The online shopping space is heating up and hopefully, consumers and retailers will be the main beneficiaries of increased competition.Â
How Do You Get Your Products Listing on Google Shopping?
You first need to create a Google Merchant account
Then you will set up a feed for your products that include all the relevant information such as Title, Description, Images & Price. It is important to remember to include your terms and conditions and shipping policies to qualify for the listings.
Makes sure to spend some extra time on your product details, focusing on getting your product titles and images perfect.Â
Google Shopping On Shopify
If you are a Shopify user then you can also install the free Google Shopping app and set up your product feed through it. You will still need a merchant account to complete the sync.
