The Future of Search for Retail Marketers? Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping ads have never been so conspicuous to consumers — nor so successful for retailers.

Search for “black sunglasses,” and it’s hard to miss the Google Shopping ads monopolizing the right rail of the desktop search engine results page (SERP), topping the mobile SERP and leading the image results page across devices.

As retailers cope with the seismic shocks buffeting brick-and-mortar stores, and e-commerce grows even more critical, connecting with consumers on Google will take on greater urgency.

Retailers now devote the majority of their AdWords budgets to Shopping ads, according to Sidecar’s 2017 Google Shopping Benchmarks Report.

Indeed, Google Shopping has brought retailers to an inflection point in their paid search strategies, creating both opportunity and urgency to drive more value from the channel.

Key Google Shopping Trends

2016 was a milestone year for Google Shopping. The 2017 Google Shopping Benchmarks Report found:

1. Shopping ads overtook text ads. In 2016, retailers spent 25 percent more on Google Shopping ads than they did in 2015. Spending on text ads was nearly flat: Retailers spent just 3 percent more on text ads in 2016 than in 2015. On average, retailers spent 53 percent of their AdWords budgets on Shopping ads in 2016.