Google Shopping 2024 updates: What DTC brands should know

If you run an online store, chances are you use Google Shopping ads to showcase your products in Google’s search results. As Google keeps evolving its platform, staying informed about the latest features is crucial.

 Let’s dive into the essential updates for Google Shopping as of March 26, 2024.

1. Retirement of eCPC and the transition to GA4

In 2023, Google bid farewell to eCPC (Enhanced Cost Per Click) in shopping campaigns and embraced GA4 (Google Analytics 4). 

In October 2023, previous eCPC campaigns rolled into manual bidding. If your ecommerce brand was still using eCPC bidding with shopping campaigns, you would have had to switch to manual bidding, upgrade to an automated strategy or Performance Max. 

What’s more, any brand still using Universal Analytics will have been automatically migrated to GA4 (unless you opted out). Many of you already using GA4 probably know how big the learning curve has been (and you might still be trying to get to grips with it). But, it does mean you'll get a better granular understanding of the customer journey because you'll be tracking more interaction points. And there's much more cross-device visibility, so you can understand how your prospects and customers are interacting with your campaigns across multiple touch points.

2. Small business inclusion (US Only)

It can be particularly difficult for smaller brands to attract eyeballs to their content when they’re up against big businesses with infinite budgets. 

Growing brands have to find opportunities to stand out, harness new ad types and embrace updates before their competition. 

So, good news, since November 2023, US-based businesses have been able to easily add themselves as a small business in the Google shopping listings. This can be done through the merchant centre on a brand's Google Business Profile. You’ll get a tag underneath your listing that highlights the fact that you’re a small business. 

This is great for attracting customers who are keen to buy from smaller, independent brands. 

This is available only to the US currently, but they’ll most likely start rolling it out worldwide soon.

3. Google Product Studio

Creating fresh content can be challenging, especially for smaller brands with tight budgets. AI has now begun to level the field somewhat for smaller brands, and Google is also following this path.

Enter Google Product Studio, which was launched in November 2023. While it doesn’t replace professional photography, this free tool allows budget-conscious brands to refresh their creative assets to avoid ad fatigue. 

4. ‘Try On’ mode: Augmented reality shopping

Google Shopping now offers a ‘Try On’ mode. Using augmented reality (AR), shoppers can virtually try out products before making a purchase. It’s an exciting way to enhance the online shopping experience. 

Note: This feature is currently limited to the US only and only lets you feature with trainers. But it’s certainly a step in an exciting direction. 👟 

Trying out newly released features should be seen as part of your best practices to stand out in crowded markets. This is due to user experience being part of Google Ads optimisation, so testing out features that might enhance a customer’s journey are always worthwhile. These can also be low cost to implement. Just look at how Google can create 360 spins for free using several high resolution 2D images.

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💡Want more tips on your paid campaigns? Read PPC expert, Simon Freeman's article on creating killer DTC ads that convert. 💸