Google Makes Shopping Easy--For Consumers and Businesses
Froogle Evolves into Product Search
Back in 2002/2003 Google came out with a site called “Froogle.” It was built to compare and shop online for products. Although it never quite took off, Google stuck with it and in June 2010 it’s was remarketed as “Google Product Search.” The newly promoted Product Search (PS) is currently in a beta testing stage, but it is available for use by businesses and consumers in the United States.
So, what exactly IS PS? Well, there are 2 sides to that coin: the consumer side and the merchant side.
Think of it is an online mall. Google is like the mall developer leasing space to merchants and advertisers. They make their money by selling advertising in the space they create. Consumers go there because their system is intuitive and helpful and then the advertising dollars simply follow.
Through PS, Google is trying to provide consumers with a total shopping experience. This is due largely to the fact that they know some consumers shop because they need something or they are simply verifying information prior to a purchase. Others simply shop for the joy of shopping.
Google’s ultimate quest is to accommodate both sides of that consumer shopping market by providing an organized and searchable e-commerce venue. Hence, the beta testing stage.
So let’s run through the consumer and merchant sides of Google PS. We’ll simply brush the surface with an example of the consumer component mainly because it is something better explained through use and experimentation of the system.
For the Consumer
Product Search (in the eyes of Google) is essentially a product comparison database. They want consumers to be able to search all retailers and find the product that best fits their needs and price point. That’s the idea.
On a test drive that we conducted, this ideology seemed to work pretty well. Below is that story and walkthrough:
The Smith family recently rescued a puppy named Roxy. Upon getting it home from the shelter they realized they needed to buy it A LOT of new things and needed to find a local vet where they could take Roxy for regular checkups.
Little Johnny Smith (with Roxy in his lap) cranked up his computer and his family surrounded him as he punched in www.google.com.
On the main page of Google he clicked the “Shopping” link that is listed at the top of the page.
The “Shopping” link took him to the home Product Search page.
“So what should we get Roxy first?” Johnny asked. To which his sister Jane responded, “Well, Roxy needs a bowl to eat and drink out of—let’s get that first.” So Johnny punched it in.
As you can see, as Johnny started to type in “dog bowls,” PS began making suggestions to his product query below. “Roxy’s ears are so long—choose ‘dog bowls for long eared dogs,’” his sister said.
As you can see, the family has a number of options. “So which bowl do we get?” Johnny said. To which everyone in the family responds all at once with something different. After a minute of utter chaos—Dad calmed everyone down. “Now wait a second, let me try something.” He noticed the advanced options. Using the mouse, he clicks on “Free Shipping,” chooses a price range of $0-15 dollars and sorts the products by “Price: low to high”.
As the results show up, Dad scrolls through the product descriptions. “It looks like the best deal is the 32 ounce dog bowl with free shipping for $10.49. It looks like it got good reviews too. Let’s get it.” But Jane stops him. “Dad, Roxy still needs dog food to put in the bowl! Plus, she needs a bed to sleep in.”
“Okay, no problem” Dad says “let’s just add this to our Shopping List and continue shopping!”
They continue shopping and find good deals on dog food and a comfortable dog bed for Roxy.
As per this example, the goal of Google Product Search is to give users relevant and comparable product information so that they can find the deals that meet their needs. The benefits for the family are many:
- time and gas money saved traveling from store to store
- finding the right products at the right prices
- a wider selection of products to choose from
- the convenience of shopping for items at any time of the day or week
Of course, there are drawbacks to using Google PS (or any online shopping system). These might include
- time lapse of waiting for product to be shipped
- inability to assess the product in person (and any subsequent buyer’s remorse experienced)
So our advice would be to go to www.google.com/shopping and check it out for yourself—even if you’re just verifying that something you’re about to buy in the store isn’t on sale somewhere else. When you’re feeling adventurous, check out the advanced search features (in the link below the search box) which are there to help you fine tune your product searches.
For the Merchant
So, what does this mean for your business? What kind of companies can join this network? How does it work? How much does it cost you? What’s the next step?
What This Means for Your Business
Product Search is a place to list your products for free, reach qualified shoppers and help increase traffic and sales. This means that you have a great way to reach thousands (or more) of potential/existing customers per day. In addition, customers can find your store simply by searching in Google.
What Kind of Companies Can Join This Network
Really any companies are able to join and post products on the Google merchant network for free. There are certain types of products that are prohibited (for convenience sake we’ve shown in a Google screen shot below), but unless you’re selling illegal items or body parts you should be okay.
How Does it Work?
First, you need to sign up for a free account through Google Merchant. This will basically give you all the instruction you need (in simple language) to help you setup your account. You then can start submitting product data feeds to your Google account. A data feed is basically a link between your store/business and Google Product Search. Accepted feed formats can be either text or XML formats. This is explained in further detail once you get into the system.
Once you’ve registered and processed the feed through Google (generally within a day or two) your products will begin being added. Next, it’s a matter of writing creative content to describe those products. You’ll want to use keywords and information that will be helpful. Think about it from the customer’s perspective and try to associate information that will help them find your products easier. Stuck in a copywriting rut? Ask existing customers, friends or even family members for their help. Generally that’s free advice!
At the moment, you cannot directly use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for a data feed. However, Google does understand that many businesses use Excel for internal product and sales information. To accommodate this, they include a link to convert into a text or XML. In addition Google has a direct sync with other system feeds like Shopzilla or Shopping.com that you simply connect.
To take it a step further, for those who have an AdWords accounts and work on PPC there is the option to add-on what’s called a product extension. That is for example, a great way to target customers who might be shopping via their mobile devices. With the increase in smartphones (which make it easy to shop, compare and review anywhere) revising your marketing strategies to reflect the mobile audience is a must.
How Much Does it Cost You?
Registering for an account and including a data feed of your products to Product Search is free. There is no cost even when customers click on your product links and make purchases from you (unless you’re using a pay-per-click component like Product Extensions). The time spent to setup and effectively describe your products is what will take some time. For businesses serious about selling online, there are even better marketing tools (e.g. AdWords, Checkout and Commerce Search) available from Google that include varying fees.
What’s the Next Step?
If you’re a consumer the next step is to hop on Google Shopping and check out Product Search. An interesting feature below the search dialogue box includes trending searches for products that Google displays at random.
If you’re a merchant who is interested in getting your products on Product Search you’ll need to do a few things. One, make sure that adding your products to Google makes business sense. That is, is it worth the time and effort and do you think the sales from your products will outweigh those costs?
Then make sure that your products abide by Google’s policies. Next, you’re ready to setup your own account and begin adding your product data feeds, writing product descriptions and linking information back to your site. Keep in mind that eventually in order for your products to be placed where customers can see them you’ll need to consider Data Feed Optimization. This is depth and complexity of this is another subject entirely.
In the end, there are a number of additional (free and fee-based) tools that you can implement to your online marketing strategy for drilling deeper into your product and customer data, which can include things like web analytics and ad extensions. All of which you should certainly consider if you’re trying to be a major player in the e-commerce game.
Our team at NetSearch Direct is always willing to explain any of these details as they would apply to you or your specific business. Please give us a call or shoot us an email if you’re interested in getting your business on Google. We’re here to help! Call Kate at 804.228.4400 or email her kates@netsearchdirect.com.