June 4, 2014

A new era of Google shopping

June 4, 2014

A new era of Google shopping

A new era of Google shopping

Google AdWords has recently announced that PLA campaigns (Product Listing Ads) will be replaced with Shopping campaigns. Current AdWords advertisers have been able to familiarise themselves with the new features since February and the definitive roll out is set to take place before the end of August.Before we start digging further, here is a bit of background about Product Listing Ads. Basically, PLA are search ads that include richer product information such as image, price and seller’s information.Only advertisers with a Google Merchant account and e-commerce websites are able to promote their products using this tool. They work the same way as text ads and you are being charged on a cost-per-click basis. These ads appear on the top of the search results page or on the right hand side like normal text adverts. Needless to say that your prices need to be competitive to drive enough clicks considering that users can compare prices at glance. It’s quite obvious on the example below, that “The Good Guys” have a competitive advantage against its peers.

GoogleShopping

So what are the key differences between PLA campaigns and Shopping Campaigns?Ease of UseWith Shopping Campaigns, you can now structure your product inventory directly within AdWords. Gone are the days when you had to refer to your Google Merchant account to organise your products portfolio. Product groups are an effective way to subdivide your products inventory into a specific product category and set bid separately giving you more control over reaching your campaign’s objectives.Data ReportingThe “dimensions” tab in AdWords provide performance metrics down to the individual product level. I particularly enjoy the Impression Share (IS) tool which tells you how many impressions your ads are receiving compared to your competitors.So far, this new tool has received great feedback and we should definitely see an increase in Google shopping ads in the upcoming months.Contact the team at Bang Online if you would like to launch a Google Shopping campaign.