In the age of omnichannel and hybrid customer journeys, intelligent shopping campaigns are a strategic lever to boost your sales. With a presence at the top of the result pages, this service, which looks like a price comparison site, ensures maximum visibility for the merchant, qualified traffic and increased conversions.
What are Google Shopping ads?
Shopping ads are a Google service that suggests a selection of products to consumers related to their active search, displayed at the top of the SERP (Search Engine Result Page) or in more detail by clicking on the Shopping tab. This tool allows Internet users to easily compare offers and prices from several merchants. The Shopping ads on Google combine the benefits of a search engine, with the same algorithm principle, and a price comparison. This campaign format is once again free since the health crisis. However, it is preferable to couple it with an advertising budget in order to secure your position.
How do Smart Shopping Campaigns work?
Smart Shopping campaigns allow you to combine Shopping ads , in-store product ads (for physical stores), and display ads, and to display them on all Google networks: search engine, Display network, YouTube, and Gmail.
With a streamlined process that is far easier than keyword buying campaigns, Smart Shopping campaigns aim to automate ad placement and bidding to maximize conversion value within the allocated budget.
How to launch a Smart Shopping Campaign?
The Google Merchant Center account
The first step is to open an account on Google Merchant Center. The only condition is to have a Gmail address. Then, you will have to provide information about your company, define the payment methods (on your website, on Google or in the sales outlet) and finally import your product data from your ecommerce website by creating your “product flow”. This synchronization can be done in a few clicks from PrestaShop with PrestaShop Marketing with Google, the latest addition to the Essentials suite.,
You will need to link your Google Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts to maximize the visibility of your offers. Then, set up an ad campaign and specify your budget. Knowing that you only pay when users click to access your e-shop or to view your inventory.
How campaigns work
Smart Shopping campaigns use Google’s machine learning to automate ad bidding and placement to maximize conversion value (up to +30%). You can create up to 100 smart shopping campaigns in your Google Ads account that you can activate or pause. You will have to respect some best practices and syntax rules (logo format, images, videos, title size…) to design your ads by following tutorials.
Performance analysis
You can track your campaigns and optimize their potential, the conversion value and the ROAS (the equivalent of ROI for ad spending) through standardized reports that facilitate the analysis of performance of your products including the number of clicks, transactions and impressions.
What are the differences between Smart Shopping Campaigns and standard campaigns?
SSCs, for Smart Shopping Campaigns, are easy to create, configure and maintain. They do not require any involvement besides checking the accuracy of the flow (importing product data) and monitoring the achievement of the ROAS target. SSCs have another specificity: they integrate dynamic remarketing.
With 82% of Internet users preparing their purchases in advance, the Shopping campaigns on Google present a real competitive advantage. This service offers the opportunity to have a better product visibility and a relevant traffic of potential buyers, with a controlled cost, linked to the performance and calculated by click, without subscriptions or fixed costs. It is also an opportunity to increase brand awareness and the completeness of your catalog since the purchase is made on your ecommerce website.
To wrap it up
Why should you get started with smart shopping campaigns?
Even though Google shopping campaigns do not allow you to target a specific geographic area or prioritize desktop over mobile, this service offers many advantages:
A service accessible to all
Even if you are not a Google Ads expert, Smart Shopping Campaigns are very easy to access. You can launch a campaign in a few clicks.
Many automated features: you don’t have to do anything!
Bidding, ad placement and dynamic remarketing
Open to all budgets
Pay-per-click, no fixed fees or subscriptions. You set a maximum budget based on your needs.
A service to promote all or part of your catalog
You define the products you want to promote: seasonal products, bestsellers, collections
Depending on your habits with Google Services and your level of expertise, you can start simply or couple your smart Shopping campaigns with your classic campaigns to be more efficient and get more conversions!