5 Reasons to Outsource your Ecommerce Marketing

Small business owners often wear several hats: HR, Recruitment, Marketing, Sales and so on. But you know the old saying about being a ‘Jack of all Trades and Master of None’ … There’s some truth to it!

What are the high value activities you should be focusing on and what could you be outsourcing?

Outsourcing some of your business operations is not without its risks or financial implications, but usually, when you hire an expert, you get access to skills and experience that are expensive to hire in-house. Here are five reasons you should consider hiring an expert and outsource Digital Marketing.

1. Specialist knowledge

Digital Marketing is a complicated business! Technology is constantly evolving. Remember the Nokia 6310 that was the bee’s knees when you got it? Well it wasn’t long before it was replaced with a newer, swankier model and your hot new technology suddenly became a thing of the past. It’s the same with Digital Marketing and keeping up with the latest advances across the many platforms takes a bit of work.

Marketing agencies know a thing or two about their industry. They live and breathe Marketing and their knowledge is unrivalled. Sometimes you just have to leave it to the experts!

2. Time savings

Is managing your company’s Marketing really the best use of your valuable time? Business owners often spend much of their day focusing on the operational and financial aspects of their business. After all, you might have great Marketing but if you don’t get the products out the door or ensure that revenue is collected, then what’s the point?

Getting bogged down by the intricacies of managing your Google, Amazon or other online ads can be distracting and take your attention away from more urgent matters. Ultimately this approach can end up costing your business more than an agency’s fees!

3. Ecommerce agencies succeed when you succeed

Marketing agencies offer varying pricing structures, from retainers to project-specific fees, to commission-based arrangements. Some agencies operate on a commission basis and only receive payment if your business does well. So, their success is entirely dependent on yours.

A set percentage commission structure is the simplest way to ensure that you only pay for successful outcomes. This ‘shared success’ style arrangement gives you the peace of mind that the agency has your business’ best interests at heart, not just their own.

Because performance based pricing models such as these do not incur a fixed cost, campaigns can grow or shrink according to the business requirements. While you may wonder why anyone would want to reduce or pause a campaign that is working well, consider how some businesses have grown significantly over the covid pandemic, forcing them to temporarily reduce sales while stock is replenished or backlogs of orders are cleared. A flexible model allows you to reduce or increase spend, and consequently, demand for your products, at times when the market peaks or dips, giving you full control over your costs and allowing you to control the demand for your products.

4. Ecommerce agencies have extensive experience

Any agency worth its salt has a team with years of experience under its belt. Can you honestly say the same for yourself? Rather than floundering around with systems which you aren’t familiar with, or muddling through because you think you’re saving yourself a few quid, remember that there are experts with substantial experience who can do all of that, and more, in a fraction of the time it will take you to do it yourself. Not only does it save you time, but it will be better quality and more cost-effective for your business.

5. Ecommerce agencies have other benefits

Ecommerce Agencies have access to all manner of skills, technologies and software which the average businesses could never justify purchasing themselves. While these programmes might not be cost-effective for an individual business to use, as an agency customer you can benefit from them without the associated subscription fees!

From specialist analytical software to copywriting talent, to industry insights and competitor research tools, agencies offer so much more than just ‘Marketing Management’. And you won’t get any of these benefits from the DIY approach.

So, if you’re struggling with your online Marketing, you’re using an agency that isn’t quite cutting the mustard, or you haven’t even started yet, why not have a call with one of our experts to discuss how Cloud Seller Pro’s service could benefit your business.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post Partner your way to success! appeared first on CSP Commerce.

How to build a website that converts visitors into customers

Whether you’re looking to launch your first website, want to completely redesign your existing site, or simply want to optimise your current one, we’ve put together this handy guide on the things that can really change your site from store window, to one that converts visitors into customers.

5 ways to build a website that converts visitors into customers

When it comes to your website, the most important metric you can track is how many visitors are converting on-site. Having a site that will convert potential customers into loyal ones for life isn’t just good business – it saves time in finding new clients!

Analysis has shown that 84% of conversions happen within their first visit while 11% take place on or after the second. This means an effective website needs to not only focus on conversion rates but also initial interactions with users which help establish brand affinity and engagement.

When you consider how important first impressions are, it’s no wonder that a website with great design can help your company grow. In fact, research has found that when people visit an attractive site their opinion of the page influences them more than other factors like content or price points because designs tend to stick in our minds.

While there are 100s of factors and variables that can influence conversion rates and sales performance, we’ve tried to distill it down in to 5 key areas below:

1. Clear, attention-grabbing Calls to Action

Your website should have a clear call to action, focused on grabbing your visitor’s attention as soon as they land on it.

Provide the consumer with a clear call to action that either makes the buying process easier, or gives them an incentive to purchase. A few examples include:

1. Buy now
2. Get 15% Discount Here
3. £xx off your first order
4. Sign up here

2. Add trust symbols and Social proof

A number of ways are available for creating trust on your website. The most important thing is making sure that visitors know, like and trust the brand or business they are visiting before engaging with it!

Some ways you can build trust are:

1. Testimonials
2. Awards
3. Customer Reviews
4. Security symbols

3. Make sure your website is Mobile-friendly

Users are increasingly using mobile devices. According to statistics, 48 percent of all web page views occurred on mobile devices worldwide. This implies that your website must be mobile-friendly. Your visitors will then be able to view your content when they access your site from a mobile device rather than being compelled to pinch and zoom in order to read product descriptions or images.

4. Make sure you’re getting the right traffic

After you’ve optimised your website for conversions, the next step is to ensure that you’re getting the right traffic to it. You should ask questions like:

• Who is my target customer?
• Where are they based?
• What are their interests?
• Where do they spend their time online?

Once you’re clear on who you want to attract to your site, you can then use SEO strategies or spend money on advertising campaigns across platforms such as; Google Ads, Amazon Advertising, Facebook Ads, YouTube or Pinterest Promoted Pins.

5. Build an Email Marketing list

Although many ecommerce sites neglect to develop an email list, an engaged email subscriber is more likely to buy from you than someone who arrives at your site for the first time.

Some ideas for promotional content could be:

• Exclusive discounts and deals
• New product releases
• Flash Sales
• Loyalty Bonuses and Rewards
• Free Gifts

Looking for an ecommerce growth agency to help you drive the performance of your digital channels? Get in touch to find out how we’ve helped similar businesses to increase traffic, conversions and that all-important revenue!

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post Is your ecommerce website losing you sales? appeared first on CSP Commerce.

Small business owners often wear several hats: HR, Recruitment, Marketing, Sales and so on. But you know the old saying about being a Jack of all trades and master of none? Sometimes it’s true!

Outsourcing some of your business operations is not without its risks or financial implications, but usually, when you hire an expert, you get a top notch service. Here are five reasons you should consider hiring an expert for your digital advertising.

1. Specialist Knowledge

Digital advertising is a complicated business! Technology is constantly evolving. Remember the Nokia 6310 that was the bee’s knees when you got it? Well it wasn’t long before it was replaced with a newer, swankier model and your hot new technology suddenly became a thing of the past. It’s the same with digital advertising and keeping up with the latest advances across the many platforms takes a bit of work.

Advertising agencies know a thing or two about their industry. They live and breathe advertising and their knowledge is unrivaled. Sometimes you just have to leave it to the experts!

2. Time Savings

Is managing your company’s advertising really the best use of your valuable time? Business owners often spend much of their day focusing on the operational and financial aspects of their business. After all, you might have great advertising but if you don’t get the products out the door or ensure that revenue is collected, then what’s the point?

Getting bogged down by the intricacies of managing your Google, Amazon or other online ads can be distracting and take your attention away from more urgent matters. Ultimately this approach can end up costing your business more than an agency’s fees!

3. Ecommerce Agencies succeed when you succeed

Advertising agencies offer varying pricing structures, from retainers to project-specific fees to commission-based arrangements. Agencies operate on a commission basis and only receive payment if your business does well. So, their success is entirely dependent on yours.

A set percentage commission structure is the simplest way to ensure that you only pay for successful outcomes. This ‘no win no fee’ style arrangement gives you the peace of mind that the agency has your business’ best interests at heart, not their own.

Because performanced based pricing models such as these do not incur a fixed cost, campaigns can grow or shrink according to the business requirements. While you may wonder why anyone would want to reduce or pause a campaign that is working well, consider how some businesses have grown significantly over the covid pandemic, forcing them to temporarily reduce sales while stock is replenished or backlogs of orders are cleared. A flexible model allows you to reduce or increase spend, and consequently, demand for your products, at times when the market peaks or dips, giving you full control over your costs and allowing you to control the demand for your products.

4. Agencies have extensive experience

Any agency worth its salt has a team with years of experience under its belt. Can you honestly say the same for yourself? Rather than floundering around with systems which you aren’t familiar with, or muddling through because you think you’re saving yourself a few quid, remember that there are experts with substantial experience who can do all of that, and more, in a fraction of the time it will take you to do it yourself. Not only does it save you time, but it will be better quality advertising and more cost-effective for your business.

5. Digital Ecommerce Agencies have other benefits

Agencies have access to all manner of skills, technologies and software which the average businesses could never justify purchasing themselves. While these programmes might not be cost-effective for an individual business to use, as an agency customer you can benefit from them without the associated subscription fees!

From specialist analytical software to copywriting talent, to industry insights and competitor research tools, agencies offer so much more than just ‘advertising management’. And you won’t get any of these benefits from the DIY approach.

So, if you’re struggling with your online advertising, you’re using an agency that isn’t quite cutting the mustard, or you haven’t even started yet, why not have a call with one of our experts to discuss how Cloud Seller Pro’s payment by results service could benefit your business.

With Cloud Seller Pro, there is no contract, no set-up fee, no minimum spend and your ads could be live in just 7 days!

Call 01524 230 251 or get in touch via our website.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post 5 Reasons to outsource your Digital Advertising appeared first on CSP Commerce.

Make the most of Black Friday: top tips for eCommerce Retailers

It has been a turbulent year for retail, with no clear sign of normality on the horizon. With the biggest shopping event of the year just weeks away, November 27th to be exact, this year’s discount retail extravaganza is set to be the busiest on record. Covid-19 restrictions will force many to buy online on Black Friday (and Cyber Monday just 3 days later), and with the additional threat of high street Christmas shopping restrictions, it’s reported that many of us are already buying gifts in the event of a festive lockdown.

So, what does this mean for your business? At Cloud Commerce Group, we know a thing or two about eCommerce, so we’ve pulled together our top tips to help you make the most of Black Friday this year.

Be Visible
Whether you are an experienced eCommerce player, or you’re new to the online marketplace, if your customers can’t find your products easily, you run the risk of losing out to your competitors. Making sure you are advertising in the right place, and at the right time, is key.

The days are numbered for the single-marketplace retailer. If you’re an eBay maestro, but haven’t tried Amazon yet, or you’re an Etsy overlord who hasn’t mastered Shopify, you may want to consider venturing into the deep unknown. Widening your net makes sense if you want to grow your business – multi-channel eCommerce is where it’s at.

Be Clever
Listing your product is an obvious step towards eCommerce glory, but content is king. Think about what sets your product apart from that of your competitors and make it clear by listing the product’s attributes, features and benefits. Or, if you are selling a common product, make yours stand out with a compelling call to action, or CTA as we like to call it. You can even tinker with your visible stock availability to create a sense of urgency!

Be Prepared
It might be a few weeks away, but shoppers are already gearing up for grabbing those deals, you only have to look at Twitter to see how many people are tweeting about it. Now is the time to prepare your listings, automate as many processes as possible, and start some teaser campaigns to get that Black Friday ball rolling. Remember, proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance!

Stock Up!
You can’t sell what you don’t have – unless you’re a drop-shipper of course! Make sure your stock levels are primed and ready for the increased demand. If you’re a multi-channel retailer who manages your accounts manually, this of course means deciding how many units to list on each marketplace so that you don’t oversell. And, almost as importantly, make sure you have sufficient stock of labels and packaging because you can’t deliver what you can’t ship!

These tips just scratch the surface, there is so much more that goes into running a successful eCommerce business and making the most of large-scale events like Black Friday. For example, listing and relisting onto multiple platforms and how to manage your stock when it could sell on any marketplace, at any time. And what about managing customer messaging from different marketplaces? That’s a whole other headache without the right tools.

Let’s just say your listings are on point, your shelves are full of stock, and you sell out over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period. That’s great, at least until you realise you have to pick, pack and ship these orders immediately in order to keep this abundance of customers happy. Then what? This could be the point when it all goes a bit sideways.

That’s where we come in! Cloud Commerce Group’s suite of eCommerce solutions resolve all of these issues, and then some. What’s more, we’re also specialists in Google and Amazon advertising so once your listings are in tip top condition, your stock is managed, your shipping is just a click away and your messaging is on point, we’ll help you find customers and drive them to your listings.

To find out more, select the option which most represents your situation:

Option 1: I want to sell on Amazon and Google Shopping but need some help.
Option 2: I need software to help me manage my multi-channel eCommerce business.
Option 3: I need a fully managed multi-channel eCommerce system with warehouse management and reporting.

Not sure which option to choose? No problem! Call 01524 230 251 to speak to a member of our team.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post Black Friday 2020 – Top Tips appeared first on CSP Commerce.

Last week we took a close look at Google Shopping, its history, its future, and why you should use Google Shopping to sell online.

That was just the first part of our complete guide to Google Shopping. In this instalment, we’ll cover how to set up and link Google service accounts for Google Ads, Google Merchant Centre, Search Console and Google Analytics.

More importantly, we’ll cover setting up your product feed.

Setting Up your Account

The list of services Google offers has grown steadily over time, but many of them tie into other, pre-existing services. Google Shopping is one of these. You’ll actually need to set up two accounts:

• Google Ads (formerly AdWords)
• Google Merchant Center

Google Ads is the central service for paid ads delivered through Google and Google’s subsidiaries. Google Merchant Center is the company’s central control panel for merchants trading through them. It’s where you’ll set up your shopping feed, which is the core of any Google Shopping campaign.

For optimal results, we recommend you also set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics, which provide more detailed and extensive data about your site’s performance through multiple channels. This is a must-have for optimisation.

These accounts must be linked together so they can share data.

Linking Your Accounts

Once you’ve got your Google Ads account setup, find your Google Ads ID, which will be ten digits. Note this down and return to Google Merchant Center.

Open your Settings menu in Merchant Center and select ‘Account Linking’. Choose to link to Google Ads and enter your Google Ads ID. You’ll be notified that the two accounts are now linked.

At this point, you have everything you need in place to begin using Google Shopping – but not quite enough to get the most out of it.

You can generate a Google Ads Tracking code now and make sure that code is present on your order confirmation page – that will give you basic conversion tracking. However, if you set up Google Analytics for your website, you’ll have access to much more detailed information.

Google Analytics offers:

• More detailed conversion tracking, including multiple attribution models
• Customer engagement metrics

These give you additional tools for assessing how successful your Google Shopping campaign really is, as well as for developing more detailed remarketing lists.

We’ll cover remarketing in more detail later in the guide.

Google Analytics

As with your Google Merchant Center account, it should be simple to set up your Google Analytics account.

Once your account is set up, you’ll need to generate an Analytics Tracking code. This code will then need placing on every page of your site.

If you’re now concerned about your ecommerce site’s hundreds or even thousands of individual product listings, don’t worry. Most modern content management systems (CMS) allow you to automatically update every page with the code, and to add it to new pages ‘automagically’.

Ecommerce CMSs are no exception.

It’s important that the tracking code goes into each page once and only once. Two instances of the code on a single page means you’ll be seeing double your engagement metrics on that page – including recording double the sales. That can lead to mistakes when you analyse the data later on.

Again, take the time to link your Analytics account to your Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts.

Setting Up your Product Feed

The product feed is absolutely central to your Google Shopping account. Everything else can be set up perfectly, your products can have a huge potential market, and a flawed product feed will still prevent you from taking advantage.

What is a Product Feed?

Your product feed supplies Google with key information about your product. The feed is designed to help you lay out that data in a way that can be easily crawled and assessed.

Making sure your data is accurate, clear, and properly laid out is an essential first step in a successful Google Shopping campaign.

Feeds can be set up through Google Spreadsheets or by an automated service (usually a browser extension or site plugin) that pulls the data from your site and formats it correctly.

Needless to say, only comparatively small product ranges should really be handled through the spreadsheet method.

However, different product categories have to conform to different feed requirements. Any confusion in your original listing or any error in the automated service can cause problems down the line, and there are only two ways to spot these issues.

• Manual review
• Noticing that one product or group of products is significantly underperforming, investigating, and finding an error

The second option comes only after you’ve lost valuable time and potentially wasted ad spend. With that in mind, whenever you add new products to your site and whenever you’re reviewing your Shopping Feed, there are several things to check:

• Product Title
• Product Description
• Product Type (if any)
• Image
• Product Category
• Apparel Categories (if selling clothing)
• Brand
• GTIN
• Availability
• New/Used Condition

All of the above should be as accurate as you can make it. We’ll go into more detail on Product Title, Description, Type and Image in the next section, as these are areas with real optimisation potential.

Product Category

Google Shopping groups products into categories, subcategories, and subcategories of subcategories. These are another important way to affect what searches your products are shown for.

That’s why there are so many options. Google regularly updates their category system (called a taxonomy), and Google Shopping members can download an Excel file with the current listing.

The current document has over 6,200 categories and subcategories, and the number grows with each update.

(Some categories are also simplified; Google don’t release specifics about the decision process, but we can assume any subcategory they’ve rolled back wasn’t performing well, either because it received too few searches or because searches assigned to that category were not converting.)

Don’t be too worried by this, however – most products will only ever need their category setting once. Every update adjusts only a small part of the taxonomy, usually in changing market sectors. However, once a year or so it’s worth checking the new taxonomy to see if the sections affecting your products have changed.

Each product can only be listed in one subcategory. That’s important, because it means you want to be as accurate as you can. (Google will take your product into account in wider searches, but it will focus on searches in your specific category – where most of the sales are).

So, for example, if you sell protective clothing for motorcycle riders, your jackets should go in:

Apparel & Accessories – Clothing – Activewear – Motorcycle Protective Clothing – Motorcycle Jackets

While your trousers should be filed as:

Apparel & Accessories – Clothing – Activewear – Motorcycle Protective Clothing – Motorcycle Pants

It may be quicker to just set all of them as ‘Motorcycle Protective Clothing’. But this means missing out on more specific searches, with higher intent and better conversion rates.

So, what happens when your product doesn’t quite fit in a category, or has two categories that it could qualify for?

Choose the closest category or subcategory to your product (or the category most of your sales come from, if it’s a choice between two). Your Product Description and especially your Product Type will help make sure searchers find it.

Clothing Categories

With hundreds of subcategories of clothing as it stands, Google chose to make the standard clothing variations a separate set of classifications rather than vastly multiply each Category.

Each item of clothing, as well as being broken down by subcategory, should also be fully tagged in each of the following:

• Gender
• Age Group
• Size
• Colour
• Size Type
• Size System

Many of these are self-explanatory. Age Group and Size Type, however, are essentially targeting categories to help Google map your product options to search terms.

• Age Groups include newborn, infant, toddler, kids, and adult
• Size Types include regular, plus, petite, big and tall, and maternity

As you can see, these correspond to extra information often included in search terms. Keeping these accurate helps ensure your advertising spend goes to the right users.

Brand

Brand is usually a required field. It’s often also a key term in searches by users with high intent.

Whether or not the brand field has any other use in the shopping feed algorithm is unconfirmed.

GTIN

The product’s Google Trade Identification Number (GTIN) is a required field for all products which have a GTIN. Usually a product’s GTIN will be its UPC, EAN or JAN (or ISBN for books). Multipacks have their own distinct GTIN. (Google will disallow ads for products if more than one unique product has the same GTIN.)

It’s important to remember that the product GTIN probably isn’t your internal SKU. Make sure you have an accurate ‘map’ of SKU to GTIN/UPC/etc. Failing to do this can create no end of inventory issues.

(If you sell on multiple sales channels, it’s important that your ‘map’ covers every product number for every channel. At Cloud Commerce Pro, we take this so seriously that creating and testing a map like this is part of our inventory management set-up process, before the system ever goes live.)

If you don’t manufacture your own products and you’re not sure what your products GTINs are, you may need to contact the manufacturer to make sure you have the correct identifiers.

Products without GTINs are allowed (set identifier_exists to false), but will be treated as lower priority than similar products with GTINs. We recommend having your GTINs in order!

Availability

Online shoppers tend to become very frustrated if they place an order and discover that it will be delayed or cancelled (or gets refused) due to the product they want to buy being out of stock. This can lead to cancellations, complaints, negative word of mouth and more.

This is a situation Google’s algorithms are designed to avoid. And that’s a good thing for retail businesses, too; you don’t want to spend money promoting a product when the only way for a customer to buy it is to shop with your competition.

Keeping this information up to date is important. If you’re offering a large catalogue of products, automated systems are the best way to do this. Modern warehouse management systems like Cloud Commerce Pro can update stock levels the moment the product is scanned by a wi-fi enabled Android scanner.

This field is the field most likely to be updated regularly for an individual product in your Shopping Feed. Google recognises three options in the field:

• Pre-Order
• In Stock
• Out of Stock

Obviously, the importance of maintaining accurate stock listings is a little different for companies that practice drop shipping. But then, customers tend to be more understanding when ordering expensive made-to-order products In any case.

New/Used Condition

Many bargain hunters prefer to buy used products, hoping to keep costs low. Other customers may prefer to shop used in certain circumstances, for environmental or other reasons.

Setting the correct condition for your products on your Feed allows Google to specifically target more likely customers.

As you set up your Shopping Feed, you’ll be asked to set various other options. Shipping is probably the most important one; you can set up rules in the Merchant Centre to cover this much more quickly than manually setting each product’s shipping fields.

You can allow for free shipping, flat rate shipping, or courier calculated shipping.

Ad Group Organisation

As you set up your Feed for the first time, you may wonder about ad groups; what they are, how to set them up, and how best to put them to use.

This is a big enough topic that we’ve given it a full section of its own. You’ll find more in the ‘Campaign Structure’ section of this guide.

Supplemental Feeds

As you’ll already have realised, the bigger your product catalogue, the more daunting it is to set up your feed. So you may feel equally unhappy with the prospect of tinkering with your feed if, for example, you have an upcoming sale and sale prices need to be updated.

While an automated system of one kind or another is a good idea, supplemental feeds and Feed Rules are designed for this exact purpose.

You can also set up custom labels. This allows you to add information purely for your own use; it adds a new way of grouping products in Google Ads for simpler bid management and performance analysis.

You can already sort by brand or by category; custom labels allow you to add other ways to group products. For example, retailers buying different products from different suppliers might create labels so they can see how products are performing by supplier.

You also might mark heavily seasonal products together so you can easily reduce bidding on winter sellers as spring arrives and increase bidding in the middle of next autumn, ready for the winter boom.

Updating your Product Feed

Whether you’re looking to adjust a few listings, mark some products as out of stock, or add new products, you’ll need to update your feed from time to time.

Google regularly checks the data in your feed against the data on your website. Products can be disapproved if the prices no longer match – which can easily happen if you’ve updated sale price on your site but not your feed (or vice versa).

This process can be sped up and made more reliable at the same time. All you have to do is set up a tool to automatically update your product feed.

There are a number of different options depending on which eCommerce CMS you use. Usually there will be several different apps, modules or plugins.

Which would best suit your needs will depend on your preferences and budget – many of these apps are paid subscription services. As Google Shopping is steadily evolving, you should choose a service which is frequently updated, or you could soon find yourself trying to manage your feed with outdated systems.

If you have a multi-channel system which supports Google Shopping, it may have the functionality you need built in. If not, check with the system’s support team – chances are this question has already been asked.

The Support team will be able to recommend a service that works for your situation.

Next week, we’ll look at how differently Google Shopping uses search terms, what metrics you can use to improve your site, and how to optimise your product feed. That includes making the most out of Product Title, Product Description, and Product Type.

This article was updated on 20th August 2019 to reflect new Google changes coming into operation in September 2019.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post Setting Up Google Shopping appeared first on CSP Commerce.

The Google Partners Growth Summit is on in London, and Cloud Seller Pro is in attendance!

It’s a big honour to be invited to the summit. Not only that, it’s an incredible opportunity for learning.

The Academy itself is decorated in Google’s trademark whimsical style, as you can see – but the atmosphere is amazing.

These events are surprisingly exclusive – only prospective Google Partners are invited.

It’s an opportunity for us to see the benefits we’ll be able to offer our clients on becoming a Google Technical Partner. Workshops, panels, and breakout sessions allow us to hone our skills and improve the services we can offer you. We’re also meeting with established Partners and benefiting from their advice.  

We’re looking forward to getting back into the office and putting these new tools to the test.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post Cloud Seller Pro Visits Google Academy London appeared first on CSP Commerce.

Google has made a series of major announcements about Google Shopping lately. All of them seem designed to create a stronger experience with more options for businesses to reach their markets as Google Shopping expands.

Soon, your Shopping feed will be able to run ads on YouTube and Google Discover. Both Product and Showcase Shopping Ads will be able to run.

The new option launches “in the week of July 15^th, 2019”.

Google Shopping Ads on Google Discover

Formerly known as Google Feed, Google Discover is often described as ‘a social media feed for interests instead of people’. It’s actually a little bit more than that – it learns from your search history and your interests, and shows you the results of the searches you don’t know you should be making.

The more you use Google, the more relevant content will appear on Google Discover. For many companies, having their products not only featured there but with an easy path to buy will be beneficial.

It seems likely that B2B businesses will benefit less. Even there, however, we can imagine corporate Google accounts slowly turning to Google Discover for relevant news and discovering an easy way to source some items.

Google Shopping Ads on YouTube

As we reported on Friday, Google is also trialling ‘shoppable videos’ in the US using YouTube. The potential for selling via YouTube is huge. Shoppable videos allow influencers and brands to market products directly. However, the total market from that might just pale in comparison to the potential from advertising directly to people researching products on video.

What Does This Mean for You?

Whether or not this new service will work for your business will depend on a lot of factors which aren’t all clear yet.

The biggest: It’s not yet known whether you will be able to manage your Shopping Ads for these services separately from search page shopping listings. Some businesses may get more out of YouTube than other ad platforms. Others will perform less well.

Either way, it’s not likely that these campaigns will perform identically to others. So paying the same price may be a bargain, or a problem.

The value of running Shopping Ads rather than Display Ads on YouTube isn’t confirmed yet, though we can expect there to be a difference. We can even predict that B2C businesses will see a better return.

But exact details are not yet clear.

However, the week of June 17^th, it will become possible to opt out of these campaigns if you’d prefer. Existing Cloud Seller Pro customers are encouraged to get in touch with us to discuss plans for the new service.

Goodbye Google Express, Hello Google Shopping App

These shifts are just part of a larger initiative. Google VP of Product Management Surojit Chattarjee summed it up like this:

“These new shopping experiences let people shop and purchase frictionlessly right where they already turn to for research and inspiration: Search, Google Images, YouTube and a redesigned Google Shopping destination.”

The Google Shopping tab will now boast a personalised homepage. Shoppers can select brands, features, and individual products to shop for. Reviews and product videos will be available.

But the big game-changer in all of this is the blue shopping cart that will appear beside some items.

Customers will be able to add the item into a universal cart, pay through Google, and order through Google.

And Google will also guarantee anything sold this way – protecting shoppers against misleading listings, late products and damaged items.

Google Express is being folded into Google Shopping as part of this move.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post Google Shopping Expands with Major Announcements appeared first on CSP Commerce.

Google have unveiled a new option for Google Shopping users in the CSS Program – sites offering Comparison Shopping Services in Europe.

Comparison Listing Ads will allow these sites to create full product listing pages on their own website and advertise them through a second carousel on general search pages. These pages will list every relevant product promoted by the agency.

Search users clicking through to these lists will be browsing products from only one site’s affiliate companies, making a profit for the site more likely.

Users will be able to toggle between the Product Listing Ad carousel and the Comparison Listing Ad carousel.

CLA ads must be associated with groups of products. Google recommend CLAs begin with large product sets (every product in a given category, which might be hundreds or even thousands), narrowing down to smaller groups based on results.

CLA and PLA auction bidding are separate.

What Does This Mean?

There are a few key takeaways from this new service for anyone currently using Google Shopping to promote their products.

On the one hand, Google have noted that CLAs will be prioritised if product groups are larger. (“The more ads you create and the more products they feature, the better the chances are for your ads to appear in response to many different types of queries.”)

On the other, as they also recommend starting with “hundreds or thousands” of products in a set and gradually transitioning to smaller groups, it’s far from clear how many products should be featured for best results.

CLAs can give a CSS almost a lock on a sale once someone’s clicked through to them – but with the CLA carousel behind the PLA carousel by default, what percentage of the audience will do that?

Lastly, CLAs represent a new option, and many sites will be preparing to trial them. This means that, at least for a while, competition on PLAs may be lower. If that happens, effective cost for PLA clicks may drop – with knock-on effects on which auctions you win.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post New from Google Shopping: Comparison Listing Ads appeared first on CSP Commerce.

With less than three weeks to go before Valentine’s Day, we’re approaching the perfect point to launch your romance-driven paid search campaign.

February often sees an increase in Amazon Sponsored Ads and Google Shopping advertising budgets for just that reason – browsers are more likely than ever to convert to customers, so your potential return on investment is much higher.

But are you ready to go?

Valentine’s Search Patterns

Right now, millions the world over are just beginning their browsing for Valentine’s Day presents and plans. Their customer journey practically hasn’t started yet, and many of the queries will be very broad – but people do their research at different rates. Orders will start to be placed and purchasing rises to much higher levels.

By the 4^th – ten days before – final decisions are being made by the thousands, and romantic purchasing starts to rise to a peak. If your business benefits from romance, you’ll want your paid ads to be in place or you risk being buried under the competition.

The absolute peak comes one week later, on the 11^th – although you’ll still see higher orders than usual until the 14th, when the last panicked ‘I forgot’ and ‘my first choice was delivered late’ purchases will be made.

(Fast-responding Amazon sellers with products available on Prime stand to take advantage of the last-minute panic on the 13^th. If you’re ready to pack and ship on a Sunday, expect a busy, profitable day!)

A Commerce Calendar

Valentine’s Day is one of the most important dates on the ‘commerce calendar’. Your paid ads should always be ready to take any special dates into account, launching or increasing campaigns to cash in on the opportunity.

If you’re not sure you’re prepared for them, why not check in with Cloud Seller Pro? Our expert team will be happy to prepare you for these big events and support your sales through the rest of the year.

CSP Commerce | Manchester Ecommerce and Shopify Agency

From brand through to demand, we support and manage ecommerce growth at each stage of the commerce journey.  Our extensive knowledge and experience in ecommerce have established us as industry leaders for our capabilities in performance marketing, marketplace management, social commerce, and Shopify, Shopify Plus and WooCommerce web development.

We’re a Manchester ecommerce agency that works with retailers as committed to growth as we are. Our performance and platform-first approach is tailored to the ambitious brands and online retailers we partner with. As part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce, we are uniquely positioned to support businesses to scale nationally to globally.

We’ll hand-select a team of specialists to work with clients and operate as an extension of their ecommerce department. We are accountable for delivering measurable results that grow reach and revenue. Together, we will work to scale and sell your products across online channels.

If you’re serious about growth then start your journey with us. Let’s succeed and scale together.

Why not visit us in person?

WPP Manchester Campus,

1 New Quay Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

M3 4BN.

#shopifyagency #shopifyplus #manchester #ecommerceagency #ecommercegrowth #marketplacemanagement #performancemarketing #googleads #socialcommerce #manchestershopifyagency #amazon #ebay

The post Now is the Time: Valentine’s Day & Paid Ad Campaigns appeared first on CSP Commerce.