Google has been constantly evolving to make selling an easier operation. Google launched Google Shopping, Shopping Ads, Google Shopping Actions, and Google Free Listing. All of these terms might confuse you, especially if you are a beginner in eCommerce. So let’s dive straight into explaining what each one of these is and do a comparative analysis: Google Shopping Vs Shopping Actions Vs Shopping Ads, which one of these aligns well with your business goals and see if a combined approach will benefit you.
Covered topics:
- Google Shopping
- GSA
- Shopping Ads
- Which is better: Google Shopping Actions Vs Shopping Ads
- Shopping Actions and Shopping Ads: A combined approach
- Make use of Google Merchant promotions
- A road map for your success
Before we begin explaining all these programs, you should know about the: Merchant Center. It is a seller’s panel where your product feed lives. You can easily manage everything that is product feed-related here.
You can also check the status of your product feed, whether it is rejected or approved. Moreover, you can check the status of all the Merchant Center programs.
All in all, Merchant Center is the most important and the only tool you would need to sell on Google Shopping.
Learn more about it here: Merchant Center guide
Google Shopping
Google Shopping was launched in 2002. At the time it was named Froogle. At its roots, Google Shopping is and was a comparison-shopping website. In the year 2012, it became a paid advertising platform.
It is available in 120+ countries.
Want to know more in-depth of Google Shopping history?- check out this blog!
Google Shopping Actions, Shopping Ads, Local Surfaces Across Google, and Local Inventory Ads listings are an essential part of Google Shopping and these listings make up the products that appear on Google Shopping.
Google Shopping Actions
GSA, launched in 2018, is the fast-growing marketplace by Google. Listing your products on Google Shopping is fairly easy and all you need is a Merchant Center account and a product feed to get started.
Your products appear on the shopping.google.com and Google Shopping tab on Google Search with the “Buy on Google” icon. (Refer to the image below)
It works on a pay-per-sale model, i.e., you pay on a commission basis for each sale. Check out the entire commission list here: Shopping Action commission list
For now only Indian, Canadian, American, and French sellers can list their products on Google Shopping Actions.
Google Shopping Actions benefits
- Increase your basket size
- Effortless shopping experience
Ever since Shopping Actions’ launch, many retailers have seen a 30% increase in their basket size year over year. You can be one of them.
A recent study showed that US customers want a marketplace with competitive prices and fast and free shipping.
(Source: Google)
Shopping Actions offers not only same-day delivery but also free delivery backed up with Google guarantee, subsequently improving your sales.
Moreover, Google Shopping is highly personalized based on user behavior, which enhances the shopping experience. Transaction details are saved which further eases the checkout process and reordering.
- User data for better understanding
- Retailers first marketplace
- Good performances are rewarded
- More sales, less efforts
Unlike other marketplaces, Google Shopping Actions lets you tap into the user data such as email, name, shipping address, which can positively help you in creating your Shopping Ads marketing campaigns.
Your Google Shopping store will have your brand logo. This improves your brand’s visibility. Your products appear on the Google Search where 5.6 billion searches occur each day, this increases your chances of making more sales.
If you keep up your performances, i.e., keep shipping and product defects low, you are eligible for commission discounts.
Check out the retailer standards boosting tips here: Google Shopping retailer standards
Moreover, with good performance, you are also rewarded with Shopping Actions Buy Box.
In a recent study, it was found that 44% of those who use their voice-activated speaker at least weekly say they use the device to order products they need like groceries and household items at least once a week.
Shopping Actions products are available on Google Assistant and you can easily tap into these lesser-known, often overlooked high potential customers.
Shopping Ads
Visually rich product ads that appear when you search for a product on Google Search. These ads appear on the Google Shopping tab, Google Search, Partner websites, the Google Display Network, which includes YouTube, Gmail, and Google Discover, shopping.google.com, and Google search.
These appear on top of the Google Search results page and sometimes on the right-hand side.
It is based on the pay-per-click(PPC) model.
To leverage Shopping Ads potential, you will require a Merchant Center account and Google Ads account. You would also need to link them together.
Check all the further requirements here: Shopping Ads requirements.
Shopping Ads benefits
Your products appearing (if you enable it while setting up Ads campaign) on more than one platform translates directly into improved sales, online and foot traffic, brand recognition, and increased revenue.
If you are looking for reaching a global audience on tight budgets then Shopping Ads is just the solution you need. It is available in 40 countries which helps you reach a global audience often with small budgets.
Shopping Ads helps you bring in high-quality traffic to your website as the users searching for these products on Google Search are more likely to convert.
You can track all your conversions and also you can check all your demographics to better curate these ads campaigns.
Shopping Ads does not require any keyword planning, which is one less thing for you to worry about.
Google Shopping Vs Shopping Ads Vs Google Shopping Actions
Which one to choose?
Google Shopping Actions?
GSA is a perfect match for you if you are a beginner and you want to give eCommerce business a try. You get a well-established platform to showcase your products and you only pay when you make a profit. Also, it is fairly easy, as you only need a Merchant Center Account and an error-free product feed. Also, you don’t necessarily need a website, to begin with.
You might stumble upon some issues while creating a product feed. If you have a website you third party apps/integration can help you easily generate a product feed and will eliminate any issues of getting your product feed rejected. If you choose CedCommerce, we can help you generate a product feed as well as help you in creating a website.
Shopping Ads?
If you are looking to instantly increase your traffic, sales, and revenue, then Shopping Ads is an ultimate solution for you.
With the new Google Free Listing updateyou can easily test the waters and see which products are performing well on Google Shopping. Later you can switch to the paid advertising, i.e., Shopping Ads to further boost your products’ reach with several Google platforms.
It often requires very small budgets. All you need is your own website and corresponding landing page. You could also get awesome results just like Miusavings saw a 314% increase in conversion rate with a budget as low as $4 per day!
Google Shopping?
Whether you choose Shopping Actions, Shopping Ads, local inventory ads, local surfaces across Google, or surfaces across Googleyour products will appear on Google Shopping, hence this doesn’t count as an option.
However, Google Shopping opens a variety of doors for you, as it now includes local inventory Ads and Local surfaces Across Google Listings, that allows physical store owners to get their products online.
According to a Google Local study30% of all mobile searches are local queries relating to a location. It has doubled in the past year of people searching for things like: “store nearby or stores open now”. Google also found that 76% of those types of localized searches will result in people visiting that business within 24 hours of their search.
Hence, it is high time you start leveraging the benefits of bringing your offline business online. You can easily do so by choosing local surfaces across Google in your Merchant Center accounts, which is a free program.
This is again great to test the waters and if these campaigns perform well. Your Google My Business account must be linked to your Merchant Center account in order to use this program.
After performing this testing, you can further promote your products with the Local Inventory ads and reach the audience where they search for your products. You would require a Merchant Center account and a Google Ads account to use Local Inventory Ads.
You can also promote your local business on Google Maps for free for the next few months. All you need is a Google Ads account and Google My Business account, the rest our CedCommerce experts can do for you.
Be it Local inventory adslocal surfaces across GoogleShopping ActionsGoogle free listingor Shopping Ads, we can help you set it up and manage it completely. We have tailor-made solutions to best suit your needs. Check them out today and experience an all-round solution for your business.
Shopping Actions and Shopping Ads together?: A combined approach
Both of these programs let you capture the low buying intent and high buying intent users right on Google Search.
Shopping Ads appear on top of the Google Search result page and the users carrying out the searches have very high buying intent, this increases your Click-through rate dramatically.
Shopping Ads helps bring more traffic to your website, which builds trust in your brand and provides information about your business that could later be a deciding factor while making the purchase. Moreover, Shopping Ads helps you boost your brand’s visibility on Google.
After interacting with your brand through Shopping Ads when users will find your Shopping Actions products, and now they will be more inclined to make purchases as Shopping Ads have established a trust factor with your business.
Pro Tip: Make use of Google Merchant promotions
Either you use Shopping Ads or Shopping Actions, or you take the CedCommerce expert advice and use both of these together, you can easily lure in more customers with Merchant Promotions.
Merchant promotions lets you distribute online promotions along with your Shopping Actions, Shopping Ads, Surfaces across Google, Local Surfaces Across Google, and Local Inventory Ads listings on Google Shopping.
It is a free program on Merchant Center.
Once you have your product feed up on Merchant Center, you can create a promotion for each type of promotion you want to offer. After you create a promotion, Google will review it.
Keep in mind, Google accepts the following types of promotions:
- Discounts: Percent off, cashback, buy one get one free, or buy one get 2nd percent off
- Free gifts: Free item or free gift card for a specified value
- Shipping: Free or discounted shipping
It is obvious that everyone loves a little discount and it encourages them to make a purchase.
With the new update in Merchant Promotions, you are allowed to use “Free shipping” promotions with your Shopping Actions listings. Moreover, you can also view the sales impact and cost of free shipping promotions through Merchant Center promo reporting.
Also now you can edit your submitted promotions once it is approved, which was not possible before. You can edit details such as end date, target, destination, promo code, etc. This update will let you edit approved promos without having to recreate and resubmit the promotion.
A road map for your success
Over to you
There you have it! Now you are all set to become successful on Google Shopping. Keep in mind, providing customers with what they are looking for is core to Google. Hence all these programs are curated for a seamless shopping experience.
CedCommerce being an official channel partner of GSA believes in providing only the best to achieve your dreams and nail the eCommerce business. Experience our award-winning 24×7 one-on-one customer support!
Comment down your doubts and query and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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