Key Commerce Takeaways from Google Marketing Live 2021 

Recently, Google Marketing Live 2021 showcased all of the new (and future) features for advertisers in the Google ecosystem. We hope you caught the latest product updates, trends, and best practices from Google Marketing Livestream.

In case you missed it, watch the keynote and other sessions on demand.

The expansive range of content covered topics from consumer privacy to shifts in shopping behavior. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed how we find and purchase goods. 

Today, we’ll focus on the Google Marketing Live 2021 announcements that have a significant impact on Shopping and Commerce advertising programs, across three categories: Bidding, User Experiences, and Integrations/Measurement.

Bidding Announcements from Google Marketing Live 2021

Target ROAS + Product Feeds for Video Action Campaigns 

YouTube campaigns have developed rapidly to become shoppable placements. A channel traditionally known for upper-funnel reach and brand awareness has become a more versatile – full-funnel tactic. Supporting Target ROAS is extremely significant, since it’s been limited to Target CPA, thus far.

Video action campaigns take the best features of TrueView for action and scale them to more places on and off YouTube – all in a single automated campaign

Talk to your Skai Client Success team about measuring your YouTube Campaign performance.

Target ROAS + Product Feeds for Discovery Ads  

Discovery Ads were unveiled in 2019 for advertisers to “deliver highly visual, inspiring personalized ad experiences to people who are ready to discover and engage with your brand — all through a single Google Ads campaign.” Similar to Video, Discovery Campaign bid strategies have been limited to Target CPA or Maximize Conversions, until this point. 

Talk to your Skai Client Success team about measuring your Discovery Campaign performance.

User Experiences Announcements

Local Inventory Ads and Extended Shopping Labels on YouTube and Maps

“With stores starting to open back up, we’re adding new ways for merchants to promote and highlight in-store inventory through local inventory ads,” Stephanie Shum, Director, Product Management, Commercial Consumer Experiences at Google said.

“You can now highlight products nearby that are available for pick up now, later or curbside. We’re also extending curbside pick and in-store shopping labels via Maps and YouTube local ads. So you can reach customers, wherever they shop,” she said.

Launching “Deals Results” Page

Later this year, Google will also unveil a “deals results page” to make it easier to discover discounts and promotions via the search and shopping tab. Google plans to also roll-out deal optimization reporting in Merchant Center.

Integrations and Measurement Announcements

Introducing Price Competitiveness Report in Merchant Center

This report will show advertisers how other merchants are pricing the same products they sell, with an average price shown for all products that meet “minimum thresholds for traffic and Retailer aggregation.”

This will unlock key bidding, pricing, and performance insights for shopping advertisers.

Google Marketing Live 2021 Announces Shopify Integration

One major announcement of the day is that Google will be launching a seamless integration with Shopify, which is designed to make the process of activating inventory simpler. Further, the integration will enable Shop Pay as a payment option for users across Google services.

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Please note this article does not include all of Google’s announcements from their live marketing event. For more information, please visit the Google Ads Help article recapping all of the Google Marketing Live 2021 announcements. 

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