Instead of having a separate market, Google Shopping was expanded to include Google Shopping Actions, which is currently known in the United States as Buy On Google. Digital voice assistants are gradually becoming a part of our daily life. The new functionality allows users to shop and buy items using Google Assistant, Google Shopping, and Google Search.
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Google Shopping Actions is “a shopping program that lets retailers show off their goods on different Google platforms,” as they describe it. Google Shopping Actions competes with the market leader, Amazon.
Because Amazon owns the standard basket feature, sellers have long had to comply with Amazon’s fees, fulfillment, storage, and other policies. Instead of holding a store’s merchandise, Google delivers a statement to the store once the transaction is completed, providing online stores more flexibility.
What is Google Shopping Actions?
Joining a program will let people see shopping advertising in their browsers. Across several devices and platforms that share the same cart. This makes the purchasing process smoother and easier. This makes shopping quicker and easier.
If a customer searches for sunscreen on their phone with Google, for example, your adverts will appear. If a customer searches for sunscreen on their phone with Google, for example, your adverts will appear.
Even if they don’t buy sunscreen right away, they utilize Google Assistant when they arrive home to remind themselves that they should buy sunscreen after all. Then your adverts appear again, and the customer adds the item to their shopping basket. They eventually checked out.
Why Join the Shopping Actions Program: Benefits and Implications for Merchants
Cost per Sale Model:
Cost-per-sale models require that you only pay when a customer makes a purchase, which is undoubtedly the program’s strongest feature. People who use the more traditional cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) models may like this because it eliminates the need to pay for clicks that do not result in a sale.
Appearing on many platforms:
Google Express, Search, and Assistant support you as a seller by displaying your products to buyers wherever they are. This ensures that your products are noticed by the correct individuals at the right time and location.
Customer loyalty:
Stores can connect customer loyalty accounts, allowing you to display adverts that are more relevant to the user. Google can tell what a client wants and when they want it based on previous purchases.
This is ideal for orders that must be or are typically made once a month, such as 30-Day Protein Powder, some makeup, etc. You may reorder with a single click, and your credit card information is preserved. This expedites the purchasing process for your customers, resulting in more sales.
Increased Brand Authority:
With Google Shopping Actions, it may be easier to persuade customers to buy from a fresh, growing firm. With this program, your ads will display in some of Google’s top locations, alongside ads for well-known brands. This will help you acquire more clicks and establish trust with potential consumers.
Shopping Actions Program Drawbacks
Google Shopping Actions is the best opportunity for retailers. But there are some drawbacks listed below:
1. Decreased profit on low-margin products:
The cost-per-sale model benefits retailers since it eliminates the need to pay for clicks that do not necessarily result in a sale. However, the fee that Google takes for each transaction may significantly reduce the earnings from the products sold.
2. The risk of reducing sales from regular shopping and search:
Since the new program is taking over Google’s ad surfaces, it’s reasonable to assume that a click on the Shopping Actions ad is the same as a click on a standard Google Shopping ad.
In reality, things are not that straightforward, but it is one element that may cause merchants to earn less money from shopping and searching.
3. Lack of direct contact with a customer:
Customers may purchase more easily, quickly, and comfortably thanks to Google’s Shopping Actions marketplace. This benefits everyone, but when a customer makes a purchase, they do so directly with Google rather than a participating store.
This could mean you lose out on some great opportunities to interact with your customers and establish long-term relationships.
How Do Google Shopping Actions Work?
Shoppers can access the products on Google Shopping Actions in three different ways. There are three ways for shoppers to access the items on Google Shopping Actions:
- They browse shopping on a computer. Google.com is Google’s newest market. It is an online store that delivers products to your home anytime you want, similar to Amazon’s Prime Now.
- For phones, use the Google Shopping app for Android or Google Shopping for iOS.
- On systems that support Google Assistant, users tell Google, “Okay, buy…”
Once the customers have purchased their desired items, their orders will be mailed to them. Google tracks all transactions and, at the end of the month, sends a commission fee to the store owner or marketer.
Google Shopping advertising run on a cost per click (CPC) or cost per action (CPA) basis. Google Shopping Actions uses a different way. It’s called Cost Per Sale (CPS).You don’t have to pay Google anything if their advertising don’t generate any purchases.
Google Shopping Ads vs Google Shopping Actions
Google Shopping advertising and things sold through Shopping Actions are not interchangeable. You cannot pay for more views. Instead, shopping actions are natural units that Google displays when it believes the user will make a purchase shortly.
The main part of Google Shopping operates on a pay-per-click model, but Google Shopping Actions operates on a pay-per-sale one, which means Google is not compensated for each click. Shoppers must believe Google’s claim that shopping activities have a greater conversion rate than shopping advertising because they do not track clicks.
While we don’t know when Shopping Actions or Buy on Google will be available in other places, we’re really excited about the expansion of this “online mall” and the new opportunities it can provide for online retailers.
Shopping Actions Program Standards for Retailers
This initiative is open to all stores in the United States and France, large and small. Google considers a variety of factors when determining whether stores qualify as top Shopping Actions retailers. This is measured using “retailer standards.”
Retailer criteria are intended to assist you in determining what you are doing well and where you may improve as a store. Every month, you’ll receive a mark depending on how well you performed in the previous 90 days.
Simply go to the Merchant Center and select the Standards dashboard to view your grade. The evaluation guidelines use a variety of factors while determining your requirements. The major determining element is your defect rate, which includes dissatisfied customers and one-star evaluations.
If you want to be a top store, keep your defect rate under 2%. If it is between 2% and 10%, you are meeting the requirements. If it exceeds 10%, you’re “below standards.” Being in the “below standards” group currently costs nothing, but Google has hinted that this may change in the future.
Conclusion
When shopping online, things are constantly changing. It was evident that Google Shopping Actions were an excellent tool for retailers to connect with customers and increase sales. The corporation finally ended the buy-on-Google checkout process. We discussed what Google Shopping Actions is and its advantages and disadvantages.
Buy on Google is shutting down, which may surprise some folks. However, it demonstrates Google’s willingness to experiment and make shopping more enjoyable. We’ll miss this fantastic service, but we’re excited for the next stage in Google’s e-commerce initiatives, which will make it simple for both shoppers and sellers to shop.
Vijay Sood is a seasoned digital marketer with a passion for driving online growth and innovation. With a robust background in developing and executing comprehensive digital strategies, Vijay excels in leveraging SEO, content marketing, and social media to boost brand visibility and engagement. His expertise lies in transforming data-driven insights into actionable marketing campaigns, helping businesses achieve their digital objectives.