Google Brings Free Listings into its Shopping Results

Your product can now appear for free on Google shopping results.

Almost 3,000 retail stores had to shut down earlier in the year to curb the spread of COVID-19. At the time, most of these retailers announced that they expect to open at the end of March or in early April.

But with the disease still spreading across the nation, that now seems unlikely.

On the bright side, virtually all of these retailers remain open online. Not only are they taking and fulfilling orders made through websites, but stores selling essential items like food, toilet papers, etc. continue to sell out their inventories.

As you can imagine, the new surge in online shopping presents an opportunity for struggling businesses to reconnect with consumers.

Unfortunately, many of these retailers can’t afford to do so at scale because of the current pandemic. Now, Google has decided to help out.

In a blog post announcement, the President of Commerce at Google, Bill Ready said:

“Beginning next week, search results on the Google Shopping tab will consist primarily of free listings, helping merchants better connect with consumers, regardless of whether they advertise on Google.”

Here’s how retailers can benefit from this change.

Selling Products on Shopping Results for Free

According to Google, over a hundred million shopping searches occur on its search engine every day. Although many retailers have items that people need in stock, they are less discoverable online.

By enabling free listings on shopping results, retailers will enjoy free exposure to millions of people who search for products on Google every day.

Similarly, shoppers will discover more products from more stores. For advertisers, the free listings will augment paid campaigns.

With that said, a Merchant Center account is necessary to publish free product listing on Google.

Existing users of shopping ads and Merchant Center can benefit from the free listings immediately without doing anything. At the same time, Google says it’ll continue streamlining the onboarding process for retailers that are new to Merchant Center.

Although the free product listing feature will not roll out until next week, retailers are advised to set up a Merchant Center account as soon as possible.