Google’s adding a bunch of new tools for eCommerce brands, including a new ratings program for online shopping experience, as well as additional insights into key product trends to help inform your marketing strategies and, perhaps more importantly, pricing.
Google Scouts
First off, Google is adding a new Shopping Experience Scoreboard, providing another way for shoppers to get more insight into the performance of each seller, based on their past activity. Top-rated sellers will be given a new ‘Trusted Store’ badge, which will help assure potential customers of your service.
“Merchants who provide excellent shipping and returns services, for example, may receive a badge indicating they’re a Trusted Store, which will appear alongside their free product listings on the Shopping tab. Merchants receive a Trusted Store badge based on their performance across metrics relative to other merchants, including but not limited to shipping speeds, shipping and return costs, and return windows.”
In terms of measuring, Google’s overview of the process indicates that badges will be allocated based on its tracking of each seller’s performance.
“The program will monitor the experience you provide to customers in several areas, including shipping speed, shipping cost, return cost, and return window. You’ll be given a rating of “Excellent”, “Comparable”, or “Opportunity” on each metric.”
Google said that it’ll continue to monitor performance to provide more insight for shoppers as they go through Google Shopping listings. It also says that in early testing, merchants who displayed a Trusted Store badge were more likely to get clicks, along with helping drive more traffic to lesser-known merchants. It’s essentially like the ratings program on either Amazon or eBay. Despite all the benefits, the element can also be problematic, especially if ratings are incorrectly allocated. On this front, Google also provided insight into common errors and options to escalate issues as needed.
Google will also be adding new metrics for merchants, including free listings conversion and product pricing insights, ensuring that your pricing is as optimally competitive as possible. This will now be located in your Google Merchant Center tools, where you’ll also be able to access a new traffic display, impressions, and conversion rates for free product listings.
The new display will show merchants how their pricing compares to that of others, helping guide your pricing strategy.
The Wrap
These are highly useful additions, especially for brands. With Google looking to enhance its position as a key product discovery source, for what it’s worth, this could definitely work to your advantage to take time and maximize your Google product listings.
The new Shopping Experience Scorecard and Local Product Insights will be coming to US-based sellers and US & Canadian business profiles.
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