Kyle Reynolds

by Kyle Reynolds | Ecommerce Strategy

In today’s day and age, everyone is shopping online—with ease and convenience being two of the most important components of the online shopping experience. Amazon has been a huge contributing factor to this. To further improve the convenience of its online shopping experience, to take advantage of these trends, and to compete with Amazon, Google launched its own one-stop-shopping experience, Google Express.

As the relatively new platform continues to grow, more advertisers than ever before can take advantage of Google Express to help grow their business. So what is Google Express, what benefits does it offer your business, and what do you need to get started?

What is Google Express?

Google Express is a new online marketplace that increases the ease of convenience for shoppers to buy their favorite products while simultaneously allowing advertisers to increase customer engagement and online presence. With the added ability to test out new shopping mediums such as voice, Google Express is posed to grow as a unique opportunity for your business.

Since its launch in late 2017, Google Express has seen tremendous growth in its online presence. With the ability to sell on multiple Google platforms, including Google Ads (most notably Google Shopping), many advertisers have seen Google Express Shopping impressions increase in Shopping auctions. For example, for a mid-sized advertiser of outdoor equipment, we have seen Google Express Shopping impression share growing from <10% to 52% since January 2018. With no signs of slowing down, Google Express will continue to add an extra source of competition in your Shopping campaigns.

Benefits of Google Express

Google Express was designed with the end-user in mind, and with that, it provides a more congruent shopping experience. Because of this, users and advertisers alike can enjoy the benefits of the new shopping tool:
For the Searcher:

  • Universal Shopping Cart: This amazing feature allows shoppers to add all items they need (regardless of the seller) into one shopping cart and checkout. This removes the hassle of needing to visit multiple sites and engage in multiple checkout processes to get everything you need.
  • Instant Checkout with Saved Payment Information: With saved payment and delivery information, checking out is easier than ever. Just add your information the first time, and get all future purchases with the click of a button.
  • Shareable Lists: From sharing important grocery lists with family members, to making sure everything is purchased for a party, or even creating lists of possible gift options for the holidays, you can share it all with anyone on Google Express.

For the Advertiser: 

  • Ability to Sell on All of Google’s Shopping Platforms: Exclusively on Google Express, shoppers can purchase your products using their voice. With Google Assistant and the rising popularity of voice assistants like Google Home and Alexa, you have a new way to reach your customers.
  • Increased Customer Loyalty and Retention: With tools such as Priority Shopping Lists, customers can continue to reengage by regularly reordering your products when needed. Simplifying this process through Google Express can help increase brand loyalty.
  • Increased Shopping Presence: Products sold on Google Express can also automatically show on Google Shopping, increasing your brand’s impression share and visibility on Google search result pages.

Potential Challenges with Google Express

Though Google Express offers an exciting Shopping platform, there are some factors that could limit your ability to set up. We have outlined some potential pain points with the program that you should be aware of before beginning:

  • Revenue Share Model (Instead of Pay-Per-Click): Contrary to other Google products that operate on a pay-per-click model, Google Express offers a revenue share model that only incurs payment when you make a sale. When you make a sale on Google Express, a pre-determined percentage of that sale goes to Google for using the platform. For resellers or advertisers with very slim margins, this can pose a potential problem. These percentages can vary by industry.
  • Order Management Can Be Tricky: Because orders are managed within the Google Merchant Center, ensuring these orders are collected and processed can be a potential challenge. Google offers several ways to get your Google Express orders:
    • Manage in the Merchant Center: Once opted into Google Express, you can see orders under a new tab created in the Merchant Center. This requires regular checking in and execution by a team member to ensure none are missed.
    • Order Feeds: You can create an order feed to upload into your backend system. This may require significant technical work to automate the receiving and processing of orders.
    • API Integration: Google’s order API will help automate the process of receiving orders in your management system. Similar to feed integration, this requires significant technical setup to integrate.

How Do I Get Started?

If you are excited to test out Google Express, you are in luck! The previously exclusive program has now been opened to more advertisers interested in testing the platform to boost their sales. To get started follow the Google guide, and contact us to learn more about this opportunity.

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