Why Retailers Need to Be Optimized and Competitive on Google Shopping Right Now
Amazon has dominated the online shopping scene for well over a decade. However, that dominance really relates to customers going on Amazon and price shopping for items they already know they want and need. When it comes to researching new products, it’s a whole different story. Google is still the market leader in that domain and it’s largely why retailers need to be optimized and competitive on Google right now.
According to a survey from Kenshoo, 56% of consumers from the US, UK, Germany, and France use Amazon as their starting point for online shopping. However, over 86% of those surveyed stated that they use Google to research new products. It certainly makes sense. Google is the preeminent search engine, the dominant player in online advertising, and the first place consumers look to research a retailer’s reputation.
Think of all the references consumers have through Google. They can research product reviews, view how-to videos, get an understanding of how the company is perceived in its market, and use the insight provided by like-minded consumers through social media. Yes, Amazon is a shopping platform, but Google is the center of all research, which means new product launches or product upgrades have to be present on the search engine giant.
The Importance of Google Product Listing Ads
Google's Product Listing Ads (PLA) are the ideal advertisement for retailers and e-commerce enterprises looking to increase revenue and grow market share. PLA was rolled out by Google in 2011. Over 43 percent of Google search ads clicks for retailers come from PLA which means retailers simply can’t afford to ignore the platform. Amazon itself is starting to advertise on Google Shopping, and as Amazon starts to expand its product offering and client base, retailers who are well positioned and optimized on Google Shopping will be able to reap the benefits. Here are some things to consider for retailers, e-commerce, and fashion enterprises wanting to improve their lead generation strategies through Google Shopping.
Show Full Inventory: Include your full inventory of products on Google Shopping. Optimizing campaigns across your entire product line ensures your offering is front and center for customers. Isolate your best product offerings and redouble your efforts to ensure they’re optimized.
Keep Ads Up-to-Date: Always ensure product descriptions, pricing, rebates, discounts and inventory availability are up-to-date across all your advertisements. Allocate time to review those advertisements on a daily, weekly and monthly basis if required.
Build Strong Campaigns: Make sure your advertising campaigns are aligned with your business’s goals and objectives and representative of your online catalog. Measure the effectiveness of each campaign by reviewing metrics and analytics to ensure you’re competitive and optimizing results.
Use Customer Match: Isolate your high-value customers with customer match and remarketing lists. Customer match is an AdWords solution that increases brand awareness by matching specific customers to unique products based on customer-specific data. Remarketing lists focus on matching advertisements for customers who have previously searched for your products or visited your website.
Combine Strategies: Use merchant promotions to help you stand apart from your competitors. Local inventory advertisements not only help drive traffic to your door, but they help secure local customers searching for retail outlets within a 35-mile radius of your physical location. Showcase Shopping Ads increase your brand's visibility and get your product solutions out to customers early in their buying journey.
Getting optimized on Google has to be a priority moving forward. Always track your metrics and analytics and be sure to include your entire catalog.
If you're looking for other insights into maximizing your retail or E-commerce position, then read E-Commerce Insight: Top 8 Shopping & Feed Tips
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