The Google Merchant Center in recent years has seen a huge facelift, from additional interface enhancements to the the long-awaited Promotions integration. Now Google is once again adding to the capabilities of Merchant Center.
Google quietly announced a big change to Merchant Center. Trusted Stores program is going to be migrated into the Google Merchant Center. Previously, advertisers would have to sign up and have a separate location to manage their Trusted Stores Merchant Account.
Now, Google is rolling this program into the Merchant Center for consolidated management.
Another key feature is that Google is moving focus from Trusted Stores (essentially shutting it down) and focusing on a new program called Customer Reviews. This will be managed in the Merchant Center. Per Google, it will allow advertisers to have better insight into their seller ratings, more time saving account management tools and give additional ways to opt in and customize the Google badge.
You may be wondering when this will be taking place. Unfortunately, Google hasn’t given a timeline for this to be rolled out. However, Google Merchant Center and Google Trusted Store Admins will be emailed once the migration is completed on their accounts. So, keep your eyes peeled for the update.
After this integration who know what will be next. Maybe the Google Manufacturer Center will be integrated or a more robust Assortment Report. What is for certain is that Google is focusing on the Merchant Center platform, the advertiser experience and the customer experience. This change for Trusted Stores to Customer Reviews is a welcomed one.
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.
