Brand and shopping, new Google features to intercept clients
Shopping experiences are becoming increasingly digital, and two big giants like Google and Amazon are facing on various levels to dominate the industry. In particular, Big G is making various moves to impose itself even in the world of online shopping, and already currently “every day on Google occur over a billion buying sessions“: for this reason, the company is developing new interventions and solutions that brands can use to be found by users and strengthen their business.
Google’s moves in Shopping
Recounting Google’s commitment in this area is an article by Bill Ready, President of Commerce, Payments & NBU for the Californian company, which highlights first of all how “more and more consumers shop online and meet a new generation of digital-first retailers, each with their own products, stories and unique values to share”.
Both of these players are targeted by Google’s work, which is seeking in multiple ways to “bridge the gap between retailers and consumers, so that retailers can build direct and lasting relationships with their customers”. Together, says Ready, “we are building a better future for e-commerce, in which the products, services, stories and unique values of your brand are at the forefront for the consumer”.
New integrations for e-Commerce platforms
The first intervention concerns e-commerce sites: after announcing during Google I/O 2021 a new integration with Shopify, today Ready anticipates that the platforms Woocommerce, Godaddy and Square will soon be able to integrate with Google in a simple and free way.
This “open ecosystem approach means that retailers will have even more ways to be discovered on Google and buyers will have even more choice“, the article says.
Tools to build the brand and stand out
With the acceleration of this generational shift in e-commerce, “having a digital presence is only the minimum: it is now imperative for you as a retailer to stand out and talk directly to your customers,” and Google is introducing new tools that “will help you tell the unique story of your brand, from discovery to check-out”.
In the occasion of Google Marketing Livestream – event day in which Google announced the latest privacy innovations, measurement and automation in marketing – some of the latest tools and features have been introduced that can help in this direction.
As Ready says, Google is “reinventing completely new ways to help you get in touch with your customers at the decision-making points of the trip: Search, Shopping, Images, Maps and Youtube”, and soon the retailer will have “the ability to take care of the way your brand appears on Google through videos, images rich in lifestyles and formats of interactive stories, all for free”.
The following are “just a few examples of how we are innovating to help you differentiate and create a deeper connection with consumers who make purchases on Google channels billions of times a day”.
Matching the values of the clients
Support also comes in intercepting the values of customers, an increasingly decisive element for purchasing decisions: today consumers are “more aware than ever of the fact that the people from whom they buy shape the world in which they live“, and a recent 5WPR study indicates that “71% of consumers want to identify and buy from companies aligned with the values that matter most to them”.
Google has been listening to this feedback and, after successfully experimenting with the Black-owned business attribute introduced earlier this year, is ready to launch “new identity attributes, including a women-led attribute for women-led business“.
New experiences in the beauty field
One of the areas that conquers the greatest interest of consumers is beauty: a survey by Powerreviews reveals that “nine out of 10 buyers claim to spend more or the same share in beauty products online than before the pandemic”and Google wants to give the opportunity to “use digital to offer the kind of practical experiences that inspire consumers in real life“.
For this, it launched a trial experience of the makeup kit in AR (augmented reality) for lipsticks and eye shadows, which will soon allow consumers “to find that perfectly coordinated foundation, by brands like L’Oreal and Estee Lauder”.
In addition to beauty, such solutions will soon also be available for clothing, allowing consumers to view “how virtually the clothes are on them”.
Solutions to build customer loyalty
After attracting a new customer to the site (or offer through Google products) highlighting the unique benefits of the proposal, “you have the opportunity to turn it into a loyal customer”: Google is experimenting “the integration of a loyalty program for merchants, which allows customers to see your special loyalty prices and benefits, including free shipping, when they start shopping on Google”.
If a consumer has a loyalty account with our brand, they can immediately link it through Google; if they have not yet activated an account, they can easily do so by clicking on the “Create account” button, as shown in the Sephora Beauty Insider example below.
Google breaks into discount codes, as well
The power of the brand has never been so important, but sometimes consumers seek first a good deal: Ready reveals that “discount code searches have increased by 50% since last year and these searches are ideal moments to increase sales”.
By the end of the year, Google will make it easier “for buyers to find out about your brand’s promotions, just in time for seasonal shopping”, by launching a page of the offers results in the Search and Shopping tab; In addition, new real-time reports on the optimization of offers are also coming to Merchant Center.
New options to entice customers
Today consumers are increasingly aware, and so they “expect more shopping options than ever” and have raised the bar of requests, especially for local shopping: in the last year, the searches “available near me” and “withdrawal outside” increased, while those for “available/ in stock” have increased globally by over 800% year-on-year.
For this reason, Google is offering new ways to show consumers all the purchase options offered by retailers: online, in-store and on Google. Locally available product advertisements can now show products that are available for immediate in-store pick-up, outdoor pick-up or pick-up at a later time.
In addition, labels for home shopping and in-store shopping are now being extended to local Youtube and Maps ads, to help e-commerce sites reach even more buyers nearby, in more locations.
All shopping options in one tab
There is also a new Google-branded free experience now launching, which “will help show your customers all the ways they can buy products from you”. As anticipated, when a user “discovers your products on Google, he will see a summary of all the purchase options you offer in one location, whether it’s your e-commerce site, the nearby store or the Google native payment flow”.
This new consistent format “will simplify purchases for customers who expect convenience and will help you to show in an orderly manner the expanded omnichannel offerings of your brand”. Google is already testing this new shopping experience on Search and in the Shopping tab, and plans to bring it to Youtube and Images by the end of the year.
Always on the practical front, finally, soon merchants will have the opportunity to enable Shop Pay as a purchase option, offering their customers more options for a simple payment experience.
