After several not-so-successful attempts by Google to enter into the eCommerce world, especially to compete against Amazon, which seems like a really big agenda in their plans, Google is now ready to make another push into eCommerce.

Initially, Google started trying to enter the eCommerce world in several different years, including 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

Google’s effort to enter this market has been going on for the last decade, but somehow it wasn’t able to keep the plan going and always had a step back.

In 2013, Google started initiating the grocery deliveries on the same day as the order came by using Google Shopping Express. With an annual US $95 fee for its membership, the plan did not do well and was shut down.

Then in 2017, instead of the delivery service, Google started its very first online mall, the Google Online Mall. Google was able to add some big retailers like Target to its mall. The best deal was made when Google and Walmart joined hands. But again, this plan came to an end without much success.

But then, in 2020, Google was able to make a comeback by introducing the Buy online button on its search engine page. The idea seemed to be that as millions of people trust Google for searching their queries so, this trust will be able to make the audience convert into consumers.

Then Google also made a plan to ensure huge traffic of consumers and sellers by introducing the strategy that the retailer will not have to pay any fee for listing their products on Google. This way, the retailers will be happy.
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What was the catch of Google’s Free Product Listing?

Well, the retailers were to buy ads before getting their products listed.

The Google spokesperson considered this to be a way to make eCommerce inexpensive for retailers. The aim was to make the people of the USA, where the majority of people use Amazon, trust Google more.

The tension seemed to increase when Amazon also tried to enter the advertising market.

In 2020, the next step by Google was offering a Zero Percent Commission on all sales of the retailers. Apart from the 0 commission fee, Google also provided the retailers the tools to import their inventory and the option for them to select third-party services like PayPal and Shopify.

The question remains: Is Google’s plan working?

The numbers indicated “a 43% increased search revenue in 2021” through Google’s eCommerce ads.

So yes, marketers and advertisers are getting in line, but what about the real end-users: the customers?

Google claims to have a daily average of 1 billion consumers “price shopping” through Google in 2021.

The numbers seem to be going in the direction that Google has been hoping for a long time. But it is a little too soon to think that Google has at last gotten a big win in eCommerce. As people are using Google’s platform to search for products, prices, and more but are they actually buying from there?

Google is not backing down and probably will be giving out more updates soon. Till then, as a retailer, you should be ready to gain a significant market share by completing two steps.

Step One:

Uploading the product feed free of cost on the Google Merchant Center.

Step Two:

Take advantage of the Free Product Listing in Google

Once the product feed is uploaded to the Google Merchant Center, you will be able to display Free hopping Listings as a retailer.

Once, as a retailer, you are listed in Google’s shopping tab, you will be able to see your listings in the search results.

The only thing left to do is wait for the next Google update and be ready for it because it seems that they are working non-stop for creating strategies that are both user-friendly and business-friendly. As in the future, Google will hopefully come up with policies that both retailers and customers can take benefit from.

One such example, for retailers’ benefit, is that with Google shopping experience becomes more customized leading to an impulse buying situation. While for customers, using increased personalization, Google is hoping to provide a one-stop shopping experience where customers will be able to get inspired, browse through the collections, and use Google’s purchasing tool without leaving the site.

So much more is yet to come. Stay tuned for more updates.