Google Shopping will let merchants post and sell for free

Online shopping is probably the only way a lot of people are able to buy things for now when a lot of retail businesses are closed. It is beneficial for both users and businesses that are suffering from losses because of various lockdowns and quarantines. Google will soon let merchants post and sell for free through the Google Shopping tab. This means even if you don’t place ads on Google, people will be able to see your listings when they search for things they need (and maybe just want).

Google has actually been planning to offer free listings for merchants for some time now but they are accelerating the launch since this very much needed during this COVID-19 pandemic. Starting next week, what users will see on the Google Shopping tab are not just advertisers but the free listings of products from merchants who will avail of this offer. This way users will have even more choices when trying to find items that may not be on the popular online shopping services.

From the retailers end, this means you get free exposure when you put up your products on Google and if you get matched with what users are looking for. For those who have been previously advertising on Google Shopping, the free listing can augment your paid campaigns and bring you even more exposure to the market. If you’ve been using Merchant Center and Shopping ads before, you don’t have to do anything and your products will be automatically added to the free listings.

Google will also be launching a new partnership with PayPal so the merchants who will be signing up can link their accounts. This is a more convenient way to onboard to the platform, at least payment wise. They are also working with other platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce to make it more accessible to various businesses whether they’re micro, small, medium or even big businesses that are venturing into digital for the first time.

The free listings on Google will initially be available in the U.S. starting next week. They’re hoping to expand globally before the year ends and hopefully during this period. This will be a big help for businesses that don’t have a huge online advertising budget.