Buying online just got a whole lot easier.
Google is rolling out a new way for you to promote your products in Image Search with all-new shoppable adverts. This new ad format lets you highlight multiple products within a single ad unit, which will appear among Google Images results.
If you’ve seen shoppable Instagram pictures, this will look recognisable. You can tag items in a picture so people who MUST HAVE IT NOW OMG! can simply tap and purchase.
Google’s shoppable ads will appear in image search results with a “Sponsored” label, just like Google Shopping ads in regular search results. They will also feature a price tag icon to show that you can buy straight from the ad.
Hovering over the price tag icon will reveal the prices of the items, along with the brand name and other information. This gives you a little more real estate to create informative and engaging ad text.
Why is this important?
50% of online shoppers say images of a product inspire them to make a purchase. That’s why. More and more people use Image Search as a tool for browsing potential purchases.
Amazon pioneered (and recently quietly discontinued) physical Dash Buttons to demonstrate the benefits of convenient, one-click purchases. Today, Amazon Prime subscribers can enjoy One-Click purchases on thousands of items.
This is important because studies show a relationship between the number of clicks and the willingness to purchase online. Essentially, the fewer the better. Research from Smashing Magazine suggests that the sweet spot is 4 and 6 clicks across the checkout process.
We also know that fewer distractions help secure eCommerce conversions. That’s why so many sites remove navigation buttons the further into the purchase process you go.
Google’s Shoppable Ads help to cut out another step shoppers need to make between seeing your product and buying your product. It might not seem like a big step, but it is a significant step.
New features for Google Shopping users
As with all their new features, this is only just being rolled out. Shoppable ads on Google Images are being tested on a small percentage of traffic and only with specific retailers. Over the next few months, more and more of us will get access to this fancy new feature.
Will it be a success? Only time will tell. One thing we do know is that our PPC experts will be testing this fancy new Google feature as soon as they can.
Shoppable ads will help you get your products into the hands of your customers faster. It will reduce the time between indecision and commitment to purchase by making it even easier for us to spend our money.
