HUGE news for E-commerce store owners this week as Google announce they will be making it FREE to list their products on the platform.
This is a further shift in response to the coronavirus which has forced brick and mortar businesses/retailers to move online to meet the demand. It also comes just after Google announced their $340 million fund to support SMB’s.
The announcement was made by Google’s President of Commerce Bill Ready in a recent blog post.
The Google Shopping Feed & Merchant Centre
Google has stated if you’re an existing user of the (previously pay-to-play) Google Merchant Centre; you don’t have to do anything to benefit from the free listings and they will automatically be added.
If you’re new to Google Merchant Centre however, they will be making it easier than ever to get started.
The Merchant Centre makes it quick and easy for retailers to add product listings, images and prices that will be displayed in the shopping feed.
With hundreds on millions of Google Shopping searches every day, this is not something to be missed by e-commerce business owners.
It’s also been confirmed the shift to a free model will be a permanent change (not just during quarantine) but users will still have the ability to advertise with paid listings.
What Does This Mean For E-Commerce Owners
It’s no secret that Amazon is the go-to place for many E-Commerce businesses. However, with the additional fees and strict guidelines in place around advertising and marketing, it can be difficult to become really profitable on Amazon.
It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly not easy!
With this shift from Google, this could level out the playing field for a lot of online stores; giving retailers additional free exposure and more importantly, direct access to those customers.
As such, there’s never been a better time to transition into launching an e-commerce website, especially if you currently run a high-street, brick and mortar business!
Google has also recently confirmed a new partnership with PayPal to give buyers more options to pay.
So, what are you waiting for? Go get set up! 😉
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Jane has completed various Digital Marketing certifications and is certified by Digital Marketer in E-Commerce Marketing & Content Marketing.
In her spare time, Jane loves to travel and create things! You may also find her watching cute cat videos 😸
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