Google has announced that they are opening up free Google Shopping product listings to allow more businesses that sell products online to list their inventory through the platform. As the retail sector faces one of their toughest challenges in history, with thousands of physical stores around the world having to shut down due to strict health & safety rules, Google brings yet another solution for entrepreneurs around the world; free product listings on Google Shopping.
Whilst the lockdown period unpredictably increases, google search engine also sees notable changes and growth in the number of online shoppers. Consumers are no longer restricting their purchases to ‘essentials’ but are now also surfing the internet for things such as children’s toys, home goods and textiles. This may seem like a thriving opportunity for retailers however not every business has the power nor opportunity to do so at scale.
New users can now apply to place free listings through Google’s Merchant which will automatically appear on users search engines when looking to purchase goods online. Existing customers will now be able to list their full inventories in the event they were only paying to promote some products on the platform.
- Google Shopping Tab
- Google Images
- Google Lens
- Google Maps
It’s important to note that the main search engine results page (SERP) continues to feature paid Shopping ads ony. So if you want visibility on those SERPs, a sponsored listing is still the way to go.
For retailers, this change means free exposure to millions of people who come to Google every day for their shopping needs.
For shoppers, it means more products from more stores, discoverable through the Shopping tab.
For advertisers, this means paid campaigns can now be augmented with free listings.
