“I wish I could put ‘data or it didn’t happen’ on a t-shirt.” Well, if that t-shirt idea follows through, I’ll be sure to click that Product Listing Ad! Recently, Brooke Osmundson, Associate Director of Paid Search and Google Shopping aficionado, spoke on utilizing Google Shopping Feeds for website traffic in a Marketplace Accelerator webinar. I sat down with Brooke to ask her more about one of her favorite topics.
In case you missed it, watch Brooke’s talk here!
What are some of the major benefits of Google Shopping?
Brooke: There are several benefits that come with using Google Shopping, such as the ability to display your products, images, and pricing. If you have a search ad showing up alongside your shopping ad, it unlocks more real estate opportunities on the search results page. With more real estate secured, the higher your chances are that a user will click on either one of your ads.
Another major benefit is the traffic it drives. By showing your products on Google Shopping, especially for high volume searches, you allow for more traffic to your site. Even if users don’t immediately purchase and they’re still in the research stage, you now can remarket to them until the sale is carried out.
How can Google compete with widely used e-commerce destinations like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay?
Brooke: That’s a tough one. Amazon and 3rd party distributors are everywhere. If your business has resellers and distributors, my recommendation is to set up a Google Manufacturer Center account, where you are able to host all the relevant and up-to-date information on the products that they resell from one central hub.
If you do not have resellers or distributors, my recommendation is to stay up to date on your target market. Narrow your audience on Google Shopping campaigns when needed. Be strategic on which products you show (such as best selling or high profit margin products) and have a good negative keyword strategy in place for your Shopping campaigns. For example – if you are a women’s boutique clothing company and have a limited budget, it may not be wise to show products for a generic query like “summer dresses” – it’ll be too costly.
What advice would you give to smaller businesses looking into Google Shopping in a highly competitive product space?
Brooke: For smaller businesses in competitive markets, I would recommend starting small and not allowing intimidation to cloud your success in aggressive auctions. You can control that by negating those searches in your campaigns. Focus on your best sellers and use data to decide which products drive the best return on ad spend overall.
Got any tips on optimizing products that retailers should know?
Brooke: Most retailers don’t know this, but you can easily manipulate your product data in your product feed! My biggest tip on optimizing your products is to update or change your product titles based on what users are searching. This may be very different than what is listed on your website. If you’re finding a disconnect between your product title and what users are searching to get to your product, this will also help inform larger business decisions around product marketing.
Speaking of shopping, what was the last product you searched for online?
Brooke: I am searching for an ergonomic foot stool for my desk because I cannot reach the floor right now… (Theater of the minds: Brooke is 5’2” on a good day.)
What’s next for Google Shopping? The rise of commerce by voice search, perhaps?
Brooke: This is another tough one. I wouldn’t say voice search is the next step for Google, but voice assistant. Say I search for “business jumpsuits” (can you tell I’ve been in the mood for shopping lately? ?) utilizing voice commands to my Google Home or Alexa speaker. It can’t show me Google Shopping results. BUT, if I’m using my Google Assistant on my phone or tablet and ask, “Hey Google, show me the best places to buy business jumpsuits,” I’m more likely to see a visible result pop up in my feed.
Care to share any Google Shopping client success stories?
Brooke: Yes! I’ve helped clients with thousands of SKUs strategically structure Google Shopping campaigns based on testing and data. We tested putting a commonly searched keyword in front of their product titles and their click-thru rate (CTR) increased by over 35%.
I’ve also had clients with very few SKUs find success. We used Google Shopping to introduce the product to new users, then layered on Remarketing audiences to capture them back in to eventually purchasing. This strategy proved very profitable for them.
What do you believe the future is for Google Shopping?
Brooke: Oh, so many things. As we know, Google has moved more into automation and smart shopping campaigns. So, I suspect the advertiser’s level of control will decline when it comes to actual product feeds. My friend Kirk Williams sat down with the Google Feed team and he actually believes the product feed will disappear sometime in the future (but not anytime soon). He thinks Google will eventually rely on what’s on your website to determine what shows up in Shopping, rather than a product feed.
For the full scoop on Google Shopping Feeds, be sure to watch Brooke’s talk here!
Want to incorporate Google Shopping into your digital strategy? Check out our PPC capabilities to see how NordicClick can help.
