As we approach the holiday season, businesses are gearing up to seize the opportunity to connect with a fresh wave of customers. In this context, Google is unveiling a suite of new features aimed at assisting small advertisers in enhancing their brand presence and engaging consumers. These features come at the perfect time for the bustling holiday shopping season.
With an increasing consumer trend towards supporting small and local businesses, Google is taking steps to make it easier for shoppers to discover and connect with these enterprises. Now, merchants can highlight their small business status through a new "small business" attribute on Google Search and Google Maps. Products from businesses with this attribute will carry a "small business" label on Search and Maps, streamlining the search process and empowering shoppers to make informed choices in supporting their preferred businesses.
Small business owners in the U.S. who utilize Merchant Center or Business Profile, including those using the Google & YouTube app on Shopify, can easily add this attribute to their accounts. The process involves visiting the "business information" tab in Merchant Center or navigating to the "more" section within "edit profile" for Business Profile. Google is also joining forces with Etsy to encompass eligible sellers within this initiative.
Google will also automatically assign the small business attribute to select merchants based on various factors, such as the number of products they offer, their geographic locations, and web traffic. Importantly, merchants retain the flexibility to remove this attribute at any time, whether through Merchant Center or their Business Profile.
In an era where visual appeal plays a crucial role in marketing, Google is introducing Product Studio, a set of AI tools designed to help merchants create and manage product imagery. This feature is now available to all Merchant Center Next users in the U.S. It includes an innovative AI-powered scene generation feature, which leverages a text-to-image generative AI model to position products within imaginative and eye-catching scenes.
Product Studio simplifies the creative process by offering prompt ideas, including holiday-themed scenes, to spark inspiration. Users can easily customize or reuse prompts that have yielded successful results in the past. Additionally, the tool allows for background removal and image resolution enhancement with a single click.
Consumer trust is a vital factor when it comes to purchasing from unfamiliar businesses. To address this concern, Google is expanding the types of information that customers can access when searching for businesses on its platform. Starting this month in select countries, retailer searches will display an updated knowledge panel. This panel not only provides essential details like a business's headquarters location or employee count but also includes valuable shopping information. This encompasses information on current deals, shipping and return policies, customer service, and ratings and reviews. The knowledge panel will become available to more merchants, offering a comprehensive snapshot of their business. Google will also highlight information that businesses already share on Merchant Center, in addition to authoritative data from across the web.
This updated knowledge panel mirrors the assistance Google provides in helping customers find local business information on Business Profiles, which has already proven to be highly effective in driving direct connections for American businesses.
Google's Shopping Graph, which covers over 35 billion listings from various websites, ensures that consumers have access to the latest information regarding holiday promotions. Businesses are encouraged to add their promotions to Merchant Center and review their settings to make any necessary adjustments to where their deals are displayed. Additionally, Google promises new methods to help shoppers discover these deals during the holiday season.
To make the most of these new tools and further enhance your online presence, businesses are encouraged to experiment with these features and explore additional AI-specific tips. This proactive approach will help them genuinely represent their brand and put their best foot forward during this holiday season and beyond.
