Differentiating your store on Google can be the key to getting sales.
Google Trusted Stores (GTS) is a program designed to highlight Google merchants who have exceptional customer service and shipping reliability. Advertisers have the opportunity to highlight their high quality of service, and shoppers have confidence in the retailers they purchase from.
” The Google Trusted Stores program helps shoppers feel confident in their purchases across the web. Google allows merchants who meet certain shipping and customer service performance metrics to participate in this free program. Participating merchants display the Google Trusted Store badge on their web sites.”- Google
Google Trusted Stores badges appear on Google.com, Google ads and on search pages.
Here is an example of a Google Trusted Stores in search:
Google Trusted Store merchants also display a badge on their site which highlights site performance ratings for customer service and shipping:
What is Google Trusted Stores?
Google Trusted Stores Benefits
Google Trusted Stores is a way to highlight your shipping and customer service for buyers to:
- Increase average order value
- Increase conversion rate
- Increase click through rate<
- Highlight website quality and merchant reliability
- Differentiate yourself from other online sellers>
- Highlight Google’s brand equity
- Be one of a select number of retailers with the badge
How To Set Up Google Trusted Stores
Google Trusted Store merchants apply to become members, a status which is highlighted on search to set your listings apart. To sign up for Google Trusted Stores, advertisers should follow the following steps:
- Create your Trusted Stores Profile (additional directions on setup here)
- Create and Submit your Shipment and Cancellation Feeds (Feed requirement details here)
- Impliment Javascript code from your GTS account.
Once you have created your account, setup your feeds, and installed the JavaScript your account will go under a 28 day and/or 500 order monitoring period to ensure you meet the Performance Standards.
What are the Google Trusted Stores Performance Standards?
In order to become and maintain Google Trusted Store Status, Google focuses on three Performance metrics:
- Customer Service
- Percent of issue free orders
- Time to reply to customer emails
- Shipping
- Percent of orders shipped on time
- Time to delivery (days to ship)
- Returns
- Time to return orders
- Time to process returns
- Time to ship returns
- Time to resolve issues
Google Trusted Stores explains in further detail the Performance Standards you need to meet in order to qualify to become a Trusted Store.
Google Trusted Stores Difficulties
- Technical setup
- Required in-house delivery system for setup
- Average shipping time may not reflect all shipping times
- Merchants share a lot of information with Google such as:
- Items sold
- Shipping times
- Customer emails
- Feedback
- Order information
Google Trusted vs. Amazon Prime
For online Shoppers, Google Trusted Stores acts similar to how Amazon’s seller reviews monitor retailer performance. Customers can op-in to receive free purchase protection from Google. Google offers up to $1,000 for customer lifetime purchase protection, and a 60 day complaint window after placing an order.
Online shoppers are required to contact the online seller before bringing issues to Google such as:
- I didn’t receive my product (does not cover lost or stolen)
- I received the wrong product
- Product is damaged
- I was billed the incorrect amount
- Order arrived late
- Store did not accept return (based on policy)
Here is a look at some of the major variables for the two services:
