May 31, 2012
With the advent of Google Knowledge Graph, many of us were wondering how Google would monetize this new tool. We didn’t have to wait long as Google shortly came out with ‘Google Shopping‘ – which takes the format of Knowledge Graph but instead of featuring aggregated information about a notable person, place or historical event, it will feature product information.
Previously, Google Shopping was Google Products – a simple product search where Google’s algorithm pulled information from various sites and displayed it for free. With Google Shopping, merchants will have to pay for their products to appear within the tool. Google hasn’t announced a release date for Google Shopping, which is a bit unnerving for retailers who are already preparing for the Holiday shopping season.
We feel that Canadian merchants should be planning ahead by ensuring their current paid search efforts on Google AdWords have a good quality scores before the change occurs. Once Google does release Google Shopping, it will be interesting to see how it affects sales and the Canadian e-commerce landscape.
More reactions to Google Shopping:
Google Product Search To Become Google Shopping, Use Pay-To-Play Model – Search Engine Land
Marketers React To News Of Google Shopping Changing To Paid Inclusion With Hope & Concern – Search Engine Land
Google to Overhaul Shopping Service, Introduce Purely Commercial Model – Mashable
Webmasters Feel Hurt By Google Shopping Move To Paid Placement – Search Engine Round Table