If you’ve used Google to search for any kind of product recently, you can’t have missed Google Shopping Ads.
These are the small images that appear at the top of the Google Search Results Page that have all the details that you’re after; an image of the product, the price, the vendor and usually a couple of lines of further information.
One of the great things about these Ads is their ability to draw more attention to your products compared to standard paid Text Ads or Organic Search Results. And data backs this up too, with E-Commerce Stores often returning their best ROI figures from Google Shopping Ads.
So, if you’re a Small Business Owner with an E-Commerce Store, the concept of Google Shopping Ads should be of great interest to you.
We bet at this stage you’re wondering how much this form of advertising will cost you. Well, that’s another great aspect of Google Shopping – it won’t actually cost you any more than standard Google AdWords Advertising. And with the Cost-per-Click being typically lower, you can get more bang for your Advertising buck.
If you’re still unconvinced about how Google Shopping can help you achieve Small Business Success Online, we’ve pulled together a list of 3 very different success stories where Google Shopping helped 3 Businesses fulfill their objectives and achieve Small Business Success.
1. REEF, Surf and Leisurewear
Aim: To retain market share
Founded in 1984, Reef was created by brothers Fernando and Santiago Aguerre who had a great love for surf, travel and adventure. Driven by this passion, they decided to design, create and produce high-quality active footware for people who enjoyed these same activities. Now, 34 years later, the company is a global leader in surf and lifestyle clothing.
The rise in the popularity of the brand is no accident. Although the company may radiate a laid-back attitude to life, behind the relaxed façade, the company works tirelessly to grow the brand and build its customer base in a highly competitive market.
Reef have a very loyal following of customers, but with so many new boutique lifestyle clothing brands entering the market, it was hugely important for the company to fight off competition, retain market share and continue to acquire new customers.
For this, REEF turned to Google Shopping to assist them. With Google being the most popular search platform on the planet, it gave The Reef the ability to put their products right in front of their target market. The power of the brand coupled with the visibility provided by Google Shopping enabled The Reef to capture new customers and retain their share of a growing market.
2. Evans Cycles, Bike Manufacturing and Sales
Aim: To lower the cost of customer acquisition
Established in 1921, Evans Cycles is the UKs leading bike specialist, with over 55 stores across the UK.
The company launched its E-Commerce Website in 1999 and initially operated a click and collect system, with customers able to collect their bikes from their local store. In the years since then, the forward thinking marketing team have used a diverse online marketing mix including display, email, social and more. This was great for brand awareness, but the cost of acquiring customers was high. The company needed a system to drive customers to purchase through a more direct route.
Google AdWords had worked well to move people quickly through to product pages on the Website, but with a company so proud of its products, they really wanted to display their bikes in front of large number of its potential customers. So, when they tried Google Shopping, they found it fitted the bill perfectly. It allowed potential customers to instantly see a picture of the product, backing up the other marketing activity carried out by the company, but with all the key information customers required, and a clear route to purchase the product.
Through leveraging Google Shopping as part of its Marketing Strategy, Evans cycles has been able to increase sales by 33%, a number which would have been difficult to achieve otherwise.
3. Invicta, Watch Manufacturing and Sales
Aim: To improve customer reach
You may not have heard much about Invicta as yet, but the exclusive watch manufacturer is on the rise and it’s got Google Shopping and savvy group marketers to thank for it.
Founded in 1837 in Switzerland, Invicta is a brand led by innovation and is renowned in their home country and in the US for their brand quality and affordability. It’s their belief that beautifully crafted watches can be offered at a modest price. This is a powerful statement and one they wanted to prove… they were just finding it hard getting people to listen.
In order to get their message out to potential customers, Invicta knew they would need to put their products side by side with the competition, making their lower prices more apparent to potential buyers. And, luckily for them, they realised Google Shopping was the best way to achieve this.
When pitched directly against the competition, the high-quality product and competitive price offered by Invicta proved to turn customers away from the better-known competition and straight to their products. And all thanks to the comparative power of Google Shopping.
The level playing field that Google Shopping provides has been perfect for achieving the aims of Invicta. Google Shopping is now the company’s biggest source of new customers, with sitewide traffic up by over 800%. Google shopping allowed them to continue to grow the brand, with a clear and quick route to purchase. They were able to pitch their product directly against the competition and win.
Looking at the success stories these Businesses have achieved through leveraging Google Shopping, at the very least you should consider how you may be able to use the platform to boost your own customers, leads and sales. The level playing field that Google Shopping provides enables even the smallest Business to compete with large multinationals, so if you truly believe in what your Business has to offer, then prove it through Google Shopping.
