Google Merchant Center has announced to its users, via email, that it is testing a new pilot initiative – a new call-to-action that takes users straight to checkout on their website.
This means that a user can see a product they like in a Shopping listing, at a price that they are willing to pay, and then, with the click of one button, start the checkout process on the seller’s website.
In Google’s email to users, it said:
“Give ready-to-buy customers the option to land directly in your checkout. A new pilot from Google has helped increase conversions and sales for participating merchants.”
Within this email, Google gave merchants the opportunity to join the trial by completing a form. Once accepted onto the trial they could then see the ‘checkout’ CTA next to the ‘visit site’ link on their free product listings.
Now, if set up right, this could be great for merchants as users will be able to seamlessly buy a product that they’ve seen in a free listing via their website.
What does this mean for merchants?
To ensure that this is set up correctly, merchants should ensure that they are using the correct parameters within the URL template. Google can currently cater for up to 5 parameters to identify the product (size, colour, ID etc). So the merchant must ensure that these are accurate so the user lands in the checkout for the correct product on their site.
There is one essential parameter that must be included and that is:
- ID
There are two optional ones:
- Size
- Colour
Also, to make sure that users have the best experience possible, Google is also urging product listers to consider the following:
- Supporting customers that come straight from Google with a dedicated, seamless checkout process
- Ensure it is completely clear where the user is buying from, and being completely transparent regarding total costs etc so customers are not mislead
This isn’t the only update Google has announced regarding its Merchant Center recently, as just last month I wrote about the latest version of it, Google Merchant Center Next. To find out more about that see here: https://browsermedia.agency/blog/look-out-for-google-merchant-center-next/
I wonder if this pilot goes well for free listings, if it is something Google will roll out to Shopping Ads as well. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
