Definition of Google Shopping

What is Google Shopping?

Google Shopping is Google’s price comparison service. It uses its product directory of listed e-boutiques. While the service is free of charge for end-users of the search engine, it is available on payment of a listing fee for any e-tailer wishing to give their products a chance of appearing first in the SERP comparator.

It allows users to view product images, prices and reviews, as well as get information on where to buy. It’s particularly useful for businesses that sell physical products, as it allows users to find the products they’re looking for quickly and efficiently, so it’s a great way to increase conversion!

How does it work?

Google Shopping is based on paid ads, also known as Shopping ads. Advertisers can create ad campaigns and display product images, descriptions and prices for specific products. Shopping ads appear in Google search results and on the Google Shopping page.

Shopping ads are based on bids, which means that advertisers bid on the keywords for which they wish to display their ads. Bids are determined on the basis of the relevance of the ad to the keyword searched for and the amount the advertiser is prepared to pay for each click on the ad.

What are the advantages of Google Shopping?

• Increased visibility: ads appear at the top of search results, making them more visible to users.
• Precise targeting: businesses can target ads based on search queries, location, user interests, etc.
• Increased conversion rates: users who click on Google Shopping ads are already interested in the product and therefore more likely to buy it.
• Detailed product information: ads include images, prices, reviews and shop information to help users make quick decisions.
• Increase traffic and conversions: by enabling users to find the products they are looking for quickly and easily, businesses can increase their conversion rates and generate more sales.
• Shopping ads allow you to accurately measure the success of your campaign, including ROI, clicks and impressions.

Google Shopping, more than just an e-commerce space

Google Shopping has an ancestor: Google Product Search, which was created 16 years ago and was free at the time. Its cousin is Google AdWords or Google Ads. The basic concept for all three services is the purchase of keywords and a few specific features for priority positioning.

Technically, Google uses algorithms that position products on keywords linked to the titles and descriptions available in its inventory of product feeds, so that when web users type in a query for a given product, the offers that are most relevant to the keywords appear as products to compare in a highlighted space on the first SERP. But not all products offered for sale on the Web have the privilege of appearing here.

Firstly, out-of-stock products will be excluded. Secondly, the monetised service is reserved for paying sellers, who will be ranked according to criteria of relevance and payment amount. Given the scale of the competition, sellers will still need to implement a sophisticated marketing strategy to win a place in the coveted box. To do this, they need to have a Google Ads account that includes billing information, among other things.

Google Shopping is the service that drives traffic to the member retailer’s e-shop.

The ultimate aim of being positioned in the top rectangle of the Google SERP for a given query is, of course, to increase traffic to the virtual shop and, as a result, boost popularity and sales. By clicking on your product or on the Shopping tab in the header below the search bar, web users are sent to the page on your site that displays the product and introduces them to your shop and its offers.

They may end up being interested in your other products and are likely to convert if they are not already a customer. It’s an excellent way of prospecting. This paid referencing is all the more interesting because it is also promoted by mobile search, and we know that searches on mobile terminals are becoming increasingly important. Statistics show that more than ¾ of the clicks made on Google’s paid positioning network take place on the comparator. What’s more, Google Shopping offers the same targeting possibilities as Search campaigns.

You can launch your Shopping campaigns via Google Ads once you have set up your product feed in Google Merchant Center. The positioning of your ad will depend on your bid and that of other advertisers, as well as a quality score known only to Google.

Call on our SEA agency to set up your Shopping campaigns!