Google recently launched a shopping ads feature to compete with
Amazon Prime’s ecommerce product delivery method.
COVID-19 has slowed most retailers and brands, as well as the shipping of products. A new feature from Google guarantees better
performance when consumers make a purchase, according to Adam Jones, director of business development at digital marketing agency Logical Position. It also answers two questions before the consumer
gets through the purchase process.
“It answers the questions whether or not the items ship for free and how long it takes to arrive,” Jones said. “Both have become more
of an expectation, rather than a luxury.”
Retailers participating in the program place an annotation or indicator on their product listing ads, so consumers going through the checkout
process know in advance when to expect their purchase.
Typically, this information is hidden, Jones said, until the end of the purchase process. That's where the consumer discovers the hidden
shopping fees and delivery times. The Fast & Free insignia lets the retailer put that information on the search engine results page.
A handful of retailers offer the information. Logical
Position is one agency supporting the service. To qualify to participate, the company must have an active Merchant Center account with
products opted into Shopping ads in the U.S., active web conversion tracking in Google Ads account, active products in a Merchant Center account, and account-level shopping settings configured, among
other requirements.
The information also must appear on the company’s product landing page.
At Logical Position, customers have seen a 7% increase in conversions, 10% conversion
per dollar increase and 9% conversion rate increase.
Calling out the service early in the purchase should become a “huge” competitive advantage, Jones said. “The last thing
consumers want to find out at checkout is shipping isn’t free, and the product won’t be available for another week or two,” he said.
Matthew Mierzejewski, senior vice
president-search capability lead at Merkle, doesn’t think the three-day shipping and handling will make much of an impact, compared with what exists today. “It’s two-day shipping in
direct response to Amazon.”