5 new and emerging Google Shopping features

Good news for e-commerce advertisers: several new Google Shopping features have been announced, and an update to the Shopping Actions program has been released. Some details were presented at the Search Marketing Expo Advanced, which took place earlier this month.

Today we will review the changes and examine some of the implications for marketers.

#1: Google Shopping Features: Expansion of partner location extensions

When a consumer sees your ad on Google, an affiliate location extension informs them which nearby retailers carry your product. Once the consumer clicks on your ad, Google highlights the relevant retailers on a map and displays directions to the various stores.

It's essentially a tool that helps your business reach local consumers looking for quick and easily accessible solutions. Affiliate location extension works similarly on the Display Network. Your ad will be shown to those interested in your product and located near a retailer. From the ad, users can get directions to the nearest stores.

Now Google has extended the feature to video ads. YouTube The feature extends the reach of affiliate location extensions. While your ad is playing, viewers can get directions to the nearest retailer that carries your product. According to Google, affiliate location extensions have increased click-through rates for TrueView in-stream and bumper ads by over 15%.

#2: New local catalog ads

By the end of the month, Google will roll out new local catalog ads for display advertisers. The format is simple: beneath a hero image, consumers can browse your product catalog and easily access information such as prices and availability.

It's a clean, interactive way to promote your products and drive foot traffic to nearby retailers. The example above is a catalog ad for Boulanger, a well-known electronics and appliance retailer in France. The company ran the ad as part of its 2018 spring promotion series, and it was quite successful: the ad generated 20.000 visits to Boulanger stores and ultimately delivered a 42x ROI for the brand.

#3: Ads with local product availability and a new partnership program for local feeds

When Google shoppers click on your local inventory ad, they are directed to the local storefront: a Google-hosted landing page that displays in-store product availability, opening hours, directions, and related information.

Previously, retailers had to set up their own local inventory feeds to run ads with local product availability. Fortunately, Google has introduced a new program to collaborate with point-of-sale (POS) and inventory data providers.

Merchants can now connect their data providers directly to Google and rely on sales and inventory data being reported for inventory ads. Furthermore, retailers who connect their data providers to Google can view their local inventory in the "Search Insights" section under the "More Info" feature.

#4: Pricing information for competitors

Google Ads Advertising Shopping customers are getting a new feature: access to competitor pricing information. Essentially, Shopping advertisers can see what their competitors are charging for the same products and use this information to improve their bids.

So, if you are a shopping customer who sells sneakers and find that you are charging less than your competitors, you can increase your shopping bid for sneakers because you know that your good price will attract buyers.

Alternatively, if you can't lower the price of your sneakers to compete with other sellers, you can reduce your sneaker bid and spend less on ads that are less likely to convert. However, the shopping features are less suitable for search queries like "loans for everyone" or "News«.

#5: Shopping Promotion Program

Launched in March, Shopping Actions is Google's response to Amazon's growing dominance in the e-commerce market. The platform allows retailers to sell their products to customers via Google Search, Google Express, and Google Assistant.

Consumers use a universal shopping cart that combines their orders from different retailers and across various media – mobile, desktop, and voice. Shopping Actions is a pay-per-sale platform: retailers only pay Google when a transaction is completed (unlike the pay-per-click system, Google Ads).

Now, three months after its launch, 70 retailers are using Shopping promotions. Google has announced the benefits you receive for a fee: more clicks, more conversions, lower CPC, and lower cost per conversion. Need help leveraging these new Google Shopping features for your business? Send us a message and see what we can do for you.