Google launched Google Shopping “Purchases with Google” in July of 2015, but it was only limited to a few top advertisers, like Ralph Lauren, UGG, and Staples.
Google just published some of the key takeaways and metrics from allowing users to purchase products directly on Google, without having to go to a merchants landing page:
According to John Kalinich, Senior Vice President, Global Digital Commerce at Deckers Brands, “It’s early days, but we’re seeing a nearly 50% increase in conversion rate on our mobile Shopping ads with Purchases on Google and a 25% decrease in our cost per conversion for UGG.“
Staples has seen similar results. “We’ve added 95% of our products to the Purchases on Google program and within less than a year, we’ve already seen an improvement in ROAS, compared to mobile shopping ads” says Faisal Masud, EVP of Global E-Commerce at Staples.
These results are fantastic, with higher conversion rates and lower CPAs. To be included in this program, you have to get whitelisted by your Google Rep, but it might be very worthwhile, especially if your website is not very mobile optimized.
Questions and problems still remain however, like the inability to retarget users who looked at a page or added a product to shopping cart on Purchases with Google.
Brian Roizen is the Cofounder and Chief Architect of Feedonomics, a full-service feed optimization platform that optimizes product data for hundreds of channels. He has been featured on numerous podcasts and eCommerce webinars, and regularly contributes to Search Engine Land and other industry-leading blogs. Brian graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
