“Buy on Google” Messaging Coming to Mobile Product Listing Ads

Earlier this year, it was rumored that Google was working alongside major retailers on adding a “Buy on Google” button to product listing ads. However, it seems as if the new feature, which is called “Purchases On Google”, isn’t an actual button but rather an enhancement. Added to existing ad formats, it will make it easier for end users to transact via mobile devices. Ostensibly, this is an effort on Google’s part to compete with digital marketplace leaders such as Amazon, where mobile users can already complete purchases seamlessly.

Instead of than being a retailer itself, Google will allow ecommerce stores to integrate their order processing systems with the newest feature so that they can display “purchase” buttons within product listing ads. These brands will subsequently benefit from increased exposure within Google’s shopping platform and have a merchant-branded gateway landing page that will be hosted by the search giant. Ultimately, this means that users can complete a transaction on the spot without ever visiting the merchant’s website.

Below is a snapshot of the entire process, from discovery to checking out:

Important Tidbits Regarding the New Purchases On Google Update

• There is no additional fee for merchants to integrate their order processing within Google’s shopping environment. Pricing is the exactly the same as it is with regular Google Shopping campaigns, where advertisers will be charged on a cost-per-click basis.
• On a reporting level, retailers will be able to segment data by click-type to differentiate regular product listing ad clicks from “Purchases On Google” clicks. This will give brands the ability to track conversion rates between the two different ad formats to understand which conversion pathway works best.
• Advertisers looking to test this new feature will be out of luck. For the moment, it seems as if the initial pilot will be extremely limited to a number of retailers across different verticals. Yours truly believes that once all the initial testing is completed, this may become a feature advertisers can sign up for starting in early-to-mid 2016.

Other Mobile Ad Updates From Google

• • Mobile users utilizing voice search to find products will start seeing rankings and ratings integrated within the ad format as seen in the screenshot below. As with “Purchases On Google”, this update is based upon enhancing the overall user experience on mobile devices, which will give advertisers more incentive to generate social proof and encourage users to rate their products.

• Product listing ads within the carousel view will have an expanded format on smartphones to display more information, which includes the full title of the product, product ratings, and availability. This update is expected to roll out on Android devices this month and iOS devices later this year.

It’s no surprise that Google has invested in enhancing its advertising products for mobile devices this year. Following the latest mobile algorithm updates, many brands and webmasters have been quick to optimize their websites for mobile devices to maintain an organic presence. As more advertisers optimize the user experience on mobile devices, they will become more likely to leverage Google’s advertising platform to further increase their digital footprints.

Have you adopted a strategy to convert mobile traffic yet? If not, now would be a good time to start planning.

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