The eCommerce field is everchanging and there are new players and new technologies arise every day. Each year more and more online buyers prefer to shop on their mobile devices. And with the introduction of voice helpers, it became even easier for people to order day-to-day items and get them delivered quickly.
Five years ago Google decided to compete with the indisputable leader among online retailers Amazon and introduced Google Express.
In this article, we will go over what this service is and how to become one of Google Express merchants.
What is Google Express and how does it work?
Basically, you can call Google Express a new marketplace. It is Google’s answer to Amazon’s Fresh and other similar services. Although, after more than five years since the launch it did not gain enough traction to come close to actually challenging Amazon.
Google Express allows customers to order household goods from their favorite retailers and get the order shipped fast and delivered right to their doorsteps. Google Express offers a free shipping option when customers meet the store’s minimum order value limit. It is $25 to $35 with most stores.
Google Express tries to make the shopping experience as swift as possible for the customers. That is why there is a universal cart that allows users to add products to cart directly from search results on mobile or desktop and using the Voice Assistant.
What are the requirements to sell on Google Express?
Since the marketplace is only available for the US customers, you must be a legally registered US merchant and have the fulfillment and returns operations in this country.
Your inventory must not include restricted items. The categories of the items are very similar to the ones that are restricted within other popular marketplaces, e.g. alcohol, tobacco, adult items, prescription drugs, etc. You can the full list of items here.
And, of course, every merchant must adhere to Google’s policies, namely returns and customer support policies, Shopping Ads and the specific Shopping Actions policies.
How to sell on Google Shopping Express?
It is not that hard to start selling on Google Express. Chances are that you already have some or all of your products in the Google Merchant account and you run Google Shopping Ads to market them online.
If you do not have your items in Google Shopping, you can use the Sellbery automation tool to connect your online store directly to Google Ads and quickly transfer all product data to the Merchant Center. Learn more about it here.
After you transfer all of your products to Google Merchant Center you need to join the Google Shopping Action program to Start Selling on Google Express.
- First, you need to fill out this enrollment form. It provides Google with some general information about your business and your contact information.
- Google will review the form and notify you once your application is approved.
- After you get the approval, you can go ahead and set up Shopping Actions in your Merchant account. It is a pretty straightforward step-by-step process.
- Google will also validate your finalized Shopping Actions set up and after that, you are good to go.
How much does selling on Google Express cost?
When you market your products on Google Shopping campaigns, Google charges for every click on your product link. In the case of Google Express, the marketplace only charges you a percentage of a finished order.
Google Express commission is 12% on average. For some product categories, it is as low as 5% (Baby Food, Wipes, & Diapers) and as high as 15% on Jewelry. All commissions add up and Google invoices you for the required amount at the end of the month.
Benefits of Google Express
When you market your products on Google Shopping campaigns, Google charges for every click on your product link. In the case of Google Express, the marketplace only charges you a percentage of a finished order.
- Fee model. You only pay for the sold items and not for impressions or clicks. So, if you do not sell anything you do not pay anything to Google.
- Customer info. Unlike marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, Google does not handle all communication between buyers and seller. Which means that you actually get customer’s information and you can eventually add them to your marketing lists and campaigns. Even more than that, during the checkout on Google Express, there is a separate customizable area on the page where customers can sign up for your newsletter right away.
- Omnichannel selling. After you get on Shopping Actions program your products appear across multiple Google’s platforms.
Originally published at https://sellbery.com on April 25, 2019.
