Google shopping ads make enhancements to the user experience
Google recently announced a notable visual change to its apparel search results, creating a unique combination of Google Ads results and organic listings.
If your brand is running shopping ads, you need to be fully aware of this update.
The change relates to a new swipeable shopping feed from within search. The new function will mean that organic results are integrated with shopping ads into one larger swipeable visual feed.
Google has been working to create a more visual display for apparel mobile searches for nearly a year; however, shopping ads have mainly remained the same.
The new ad formats will be available via Search or Performance Max campaigns, and the associated imagery will be generated from advertiser-provided assets for apparel searches.
Google stated that “these will be clearly labeled as ads and will be eligible to appear in dedicated ad slots throughout the page. We’re also rolling out new ways to showcase multiple product images within Shopping ads in the U.S., along with information such as product descriptions, reviews, and product availability, with no further action required of advertisers”.
The aim is to roll out the enhancements for advertisers later in the year, and it will impact relevant apparel searches
What does this change mean for brands?
Google is always looking for ways to innovate to provide a better user experience, and some significant changes are on the horizon. Google will transition from text-heavy search results, which is what the platform is focused on currently and what users are familiar with, to a more visually engaging experience.
This move comes partially in response to the need to compete with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon; on these specialized e-commerce platforms, images and variant image types stand out more on the search listing pages than they do from within Google search results. Google aims to simplify and enhance the user’s shopping experience from within Google Shopping. This aim is tied to Google looking to increase its market share and opportunity to drive revenue.
This is connected to a well-discussed issue of Google favoring its properties in search results, with a large proportion of first-page search results being dominated by Google’s products. By improving and adding more Google features and making actions increasingly accessible from within the search results, users will have less reason to visit the brand’s websites or at least create more steps if users wish to do so.
Therefore, businesses cannot ignore these changes and must adapt their marketing strategies to take advantage of Google’s product innovations.
Conclusion
A more significant, more prominent ad type that is integrated with organic results should support retailers. The enhanced user functionality to swipe for more details adds another level of user interaction. Combined with organic search results, this should help maintain searchers’ engagement and activity with the platform. In terms of user experience, this is a solid improvement, and we should see more vertical experiences moving forward.
If you have any questions about Google Ads or e-commerce marketing, please feel free to contact our expert team at info@relevantaudience.com for more information.
