The tech giant has removed the fees typically associated with the marketing feature.
Google Shopping has announced the temporary elimination of its product listing fees for online merchants trying to reach their customers during the pandemic.
Brick and mortar businesses are scrambling to reach their customers in new ways.
Non-essential brick and mortar businesses who have not previously sold products and services online are now attempting to work as fast as they can to reach their customers using online resources. To help ease the burden of working with a new platform, Google Shopping has temporarily removed the fees associated with listing products in its search feature.
The hope is that the free listing opportunity could provide a much-needed opportunity to reach shoppers at home who would normally come into their stores to make a purchase. This can allow businesses to work with new opportunities to serve those customers, whether it be through shipping by mail, home delivery, or pickup. Regardless of the strategy details, retailers find that they must embrace and enhance their online sales channels to survive the pandemic, and this includes the options opened up by the top search engine.
Free Google Shopping listings lets businesses put their products right in front of their customers.
“This is a positive development for retailers in the short term, as they can expect to see a lift in volume of [about] 4% from their Google Shopping channel. Any support during COVID-19 is welcome for retailers,” said Adlucent senior director of partnerships, Alex Harmon as quoted in a Mobile Marketer report. “The announcement can also be viewed as another indicator that Google is invested in developing [its] Shopping property into a more robust consumer experience. As it matures, it offers a more compelling destination for advertisers and consumers alike.”
From Google’s side of things, this is also a meaningful strategy in the face of COVID-19. That tech giant is experiencing substantially reduced ad revenue as retail marketers delay or suspend their media and marketing spending. It also provides the company with a greater position to take on other large digital retailers such as Amazon when it comes to e- and m-commerce advertising.
Amazon’s move into the online advertising sphere has proven increasingly threatening to Google Shopping. Some marketers have reportedly sent half to 60 percent of their search budgets to the 
marketplace from the search engine. Google is now working to strengthen relationships with existing merchants while bringing new ones aboard with greater speed.
