Google’s Product Listing Ads (PLAs) have been a popular option for merchants since their debut in 2012. Now, just in time for the holidays, Google has introduced changes that will put the focus squarely on promotions and discounts — which poses both potential benefits and challenges.
As of the end of this month, Google will eliminate free-form promotional text within the ads in favor of displaying various ad extensions — from customer reviews to Google-generated alerts notifying customers when a merchant is offering an especially attractive price. According to Google, the promotional extensions fare better when it comes to clicks and sales than the straight promotional text, and for merchants, the extensions are free and can be incorporated as easily after a quick signup process and adjustment to their PLA feeds. In one case study, conversion jumped 36% with the inclusion of ad extensions.
But the switch can also pose a challenge for merchants whose selling strategy doesn’t revolve around competitive pricing and discounts. Those who are unable to offer free shipping, in particular, may feel the sting during the holidays, as free shipping continues to be consumers’ top-sought promotion; some 65% of transactions during the fourth quarter last year involved free shipping, according to comScore.
Furthermore, as promotional ad extensions become the default mode of display as opposed to an occasional highlight on PLA listings, their overall impact may decrease — leading consumers to skim over them more.
In short, merchants with and without promotions to tout should optimize their PLA execution now, watch performance closely for changes in the coming month, and be prepared to adjust accordingly heading into the peak shopping season. Among the tactics to employ:
Ensure promotions are reflected on landing pages site-wide. This long-held best practice is especially important given PLAs’ emphasis on promotions. Merchants should synch their feeds with site copy and ensure that product, index and category landing pages reflect the offer highlighted in their listings.
Establish critical mass for reviews, and display them in PLAs. Merchants should take advantage of the ability to display aggregate product ratings culled from customer reviews — valuable content that can also serve to underscore a merchant’s reputation and popularity. The PLA content can help ads stand out even without a discount offer attached, as for Perricone MD, whose extensive reviews indicate that the site serves as a definitive information hub about its products.
Share nearby inventory within PLAs. Another potential option for merchants with brick-and-mortar locations — and a solid inventory integration in place — is to enroll to participate in Google’s local inventory ad program, which includes in-store availability as part of the PLA listing, as in this promotion for chairs available from MarketLive merchant Design Within Reach.
Watch international PLA performance. Because not all promotional PLA extensions are available in all overseas markets, merchants who are targeting other countries should have alternative plans for messaging products and offers to those audiences.
How are you optimizing your holiday PLA feeds?
