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As marketers find themselves already in the full swing of 2019, it is easy to move ahead with plans and activity without reflection on key learnings from the previous 12 months. Measurement and analysis are a key part of any smart marketer’s marketing protocol in order to look forward. So, when it comes to highlighting some of the significant marketing events of 2018, the introduction of the Comparison Shopping Services (CSS) via the Google Partner Programme tops the leader board.

CSS took much of the limelight from as early as spring last year following Google’s EU fine for taking advantage of their position in the Google Shopping market. As a result, they were ordered to open up the competition in the Shopping auction to help other CSS appear in the prime spot in search results.

As one of the key players in the CSS landscape, Productcaster has been instrumental in one of the most significant changes Google Shopping has seen in recent years. However, the story doesn’t end there. Google announced in December 2018, the requirements for the CSS programme were to change again. They stated that:

But following CSS requirements being asked to change once more, one question remained for many. Is CSS still worth it?

CSS: Part of Your Marketing Tool Kit in 2019

Following the conclusion of the Google ad incentive scheme at the end of December 2018, many retailers and agencies raised concern whether CSS should remain a key part of their online marketing strategy for the year ahead. In some cases, an uncertainty grew around whether the benefits were strong enough to keep them using the incentivised model positioned by Google.

Results from Productcaster clients who have switched to a Google only test are now reverting back to using CSS after seeing stronger results in both CPCs and impression share. In one instance, a client in January 2019 saw a 29% drop in impressions by reverting their Shopping activity back to Google for 2 weeks, as a result of running a controlled A/B test in collaboration with the Productcaster team.

Productcaster's Commitment to CSS

With over 80 million products on the Productcaster Comparison Shopping site across all territories, our own research shows that although many retailers used the ad credit incentive for short-term gains, the real winners are those that are continuing with their CSS reaping the most benefits. Productcaster continues to successfully onboard new clients every week and help retailers and agencies understand the performance benefits available to them. Find out more by contacting cssteam@productcaster.com or call +44 (0)203 910 7026

To catch up on our webinar which covers why CSS is for life and not just for Christmas, watch back here.

 

In 2019, retailers’ product data feed is expected to become the core of a successful paid marketing activity. A feed, which in basic terminology consists of a list of products and their defined attributes, must reflect a systematic and detailed product management approach in order to provide the best results.

The quality of the feed dictates the success of Shopping Ads on Google and Bing, along with Marketplace listings on Amazon and eBay, and consequently, many sellers are rethinking how best to optimise their data in order to best reach their customers.

 

Speaking your customer’s language

As the way we shop continues to evolve, retailers must be savvy about various touchpoints in a customer’s journey to keep up with ever-changing landscape and persistent competition. So much can now be achieved at the touch of a button - from ordering a taxi to booking a reservation at your favourite restaurant – and technology is continually evolving to make our lives (and shopping habits) easier.

Retailers must not only think of their data feed but also the way in which consumers search. Learning to speak your customers’ language is a useful tactic to keep ahead of the competition.

Although Google has consistently dominated the digital space, over recent years other partner networks have provided retailers with an opportunity to give their products further visibility. Bing, Amazon, Facebook and more all require their own unique feed attributes which are critical to retailers’ campaign performance. Missing information reduces impression volume, which in turn can translate to a loss in revenue. The importance of a well optimised, rich data feed is now more important than ever to ensure customers are reached on multiple platforms at a variety of touchpoints during their purchasing journey.

 

Common product data feed mistakes

Through years of experience our product data experts have identified a number of common mistakes that can jeopardise the success of a retailer’s feed. These include:

These issues are all easily resolvable and can have a drastic impact on sales and revenue.

 

How to best optimise your product feed

Feed optimisation and enrichment is important so that the best feed is provided to your partners, meaning better ads and improved click-through-rates, conversion rates and ROI.

Feed optimisation is complex, but there are a few key recommendations that can improve performance:

Be sure to look out for our short downloadable guide on feed optimisation tips coming soon on the Productcaster site.

 

Choosing the right data feed management platform

Data without the correct management can be detrimental to a business. Both time and revenue can be lost dealing with overwhelming amounts of feed data, which can seem like an impossible task without the correct support and guidance.

When choosing your feed manager platform, choose one which allows you to:

To find out more about some of the best ways to optimise your feed and maximise your performance, get in touch with a member of our team today at feedmanager@productcaster.com 

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The Current CSS Landscape

Comparison Shopping Services (CSS) have created plenty of noise in the online retail space during 2018. Whether an agency, retailer or consumer, most have encountered the change in the Google Shopping market through seeking the reward incentives for their own financial gain or have discovered through plain curiosity in the way the text under the adverts now look.

Google Shopping screenshot with cycling helmets

For those who require a refresher, Google was hit with a 2.4 billion euro fine back in June 2017 and the market was challenged to drastically evolve to enable more competition and provide other CSS providers better access to the Google Shopping market. Retailers and agencies could continue to place their ads via Google or access the incentivised programme via another CSS such as Productcaster. As well as gaining a saving of up to 20% on Cost Per Click (CPC) activity, Google also introduced an incentive programme, SpendMatch, that rebates online merchants up to 30% of their shopping ad budget as cashback.

Google Shopping: Analysis and Market Overview

Global search and online visibility experts, Searchmetrics, analysed the current market situation around Google Shopping following their initial report back in January 2018. They specifically viewed the change in landscape in the UK and Germany, analysing what impact CSS had on the shopping market, how the proportion of Google ads vs. competitor ads had changed, and which product comparison pages were most frequently found in the shopping units. The most recent report also analysed the French market.

Using their expertise, they analysed a robust keyword set and reviewed each of the three Google indexes on four separate dates in autumn 2018.

The Findings

Although the market has changed, as expected Google themselves are still heavily present in all three markets analysed. The graph below also indicates around a third of shopping ads are provided by competitor CSSs, with Google Shopping still maintaining two thirds of the market in the UK, Germany and France.

Searchmetrics Google Shopping Analysis
Image: Searchmetrics Google Shopping Analysis and Market Overview Report

In the January 2018 report, which analysed only the UK and German markets, the study found that CSSs were majorly unrepresented in the Product Listing Ads (PLAs). In the UK only 0.4%, and in Germany only 2%, occupied the prime shopping spots. Fast forward to present day and what is evident is the large increase with 32% visibility in the UK, 33% in Germany, and for the first time analysed, France with 31%.

Searchmetrics CSS market share
Searchmetrics Report: Comparison of market share of competitor CSSs: January 2018 vs December 2018

When it came to looking at who was taking a lead out of all 132 Google CSS Partners (as of 12th December 2018) in the three markets, Productcaster appears more than any other CSS, topping the board in France and coming a close second in the UK.

Top 3 CSS providers by market
Top 3 CSS providers by market

The UK displays the largest CSS diversity of all three markets, with the top four competitors owning at least 10% of all CSS ads, compared to Germany and France where only three competitors own 10%.
Over in France, Productcaster dominates the market with almost double the amount of CSS ads of its nearest competitor at 29%. “Traditional” price comparison sites such as Kelkoo and Twenga, although present, do not have the same substantial impression share.

Top 10 External CSS Providers
Top 10 external CSS providers

What’s Next for CSS?

Over the last 12 months the most significant change is the number and diversity of CSS appearing in Google Shopping. Productcaster’s own research has shown an increase week on week since our tracking in early July, when only 36 CSS partners were live, in comparison to the 132 live in December today.
However, Google announced this week that, as of the 31st January 2019, the requirements for the CSS program will change. All sites must meet the following criteria to continue to participate in Shopping ads:

The CSS website must offer sorting or filtering options of product search results by price and at least one other dimension that is relevant for consumers (for example brand, merchant, shipping time).

CSS sites must show offers from at least 50 distinct merchant domains for every country in which they target Shopping ads. CSSs will be asked to self-certify by January 31, 2019 that they have offers from at least 50 distinct merchant domains per country on their site (Google will be providing a tool for self-certification in late January). These must be merchants that ship products to the respective country, meaning consumers in that country can buy from them. Google will conduct checks and may ask CSSs to provide evidence that they meet this requirement.

What does this mean for the market as we head into 2019? The market will continue to consolidate, and the CPCs will likely to become more competitive as a result. It is therefore more important now than ever to choose a CSS partner whom focuses on serving the customer first but one that also continuously develops through times of change.

You can read more about the report and download Searchmetrics Google Shopping 2018 on their blog.
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On the 12th December 2018 Google announced there will be changes to the criteria for Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) partners which take effect from 31st January 2019.

At Productcaster, we have already noticed that there is a shake-up in the market, with brands questioning whether their CSS partner will make the grade by the end of January. CSS partners in turn are trying to understand whether they should continue or seek alternative support for their existing clients, due to the ongoing costs in developing and maintaining their solution.

The key requirements that partners need to fulfil include the following:

As a leading Premium Google CSS partner, we are committed to maintaining our CSS partner status. Rest assured, we will not be disappearing as a CSS Premium Partner. We will continue to scale our solution with our dedicated CSS team supporting with onboarding, performance management and the development of our best in class CSS platform.

At Productcaster we offer:

Productcaster has a Feefo 5-star rating, as scored by our customers for service.

Whether you are a brand or an agency, if you are interested in understanding how we can support you through these changing times, please contact our specialist CSS team for more information on +44 (0)203 910 7026 or email cssteam@productcaster.com.

You can also read more about the imminent Google CSS partner changes here: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7524491?hl=en-GB

Calling all agencies and retailers! Do you want to know how to maximise ROI from Google Shopping this peak and beyond?

It’s not too late; watch the replay of our 45-minute webinar to find out how you can do exactly that.

Watch the replay here.

The webinar was hosted by Commercial Director of Productcaster, John Readman, and Dave Trolle, Managing Director of Marketing Technology. We were joined by Jeff Mainwood, Head of Performance Marketing at Productcaster client Sigma Sports, and Peter Whitmarsh, Head of Paid Media at Search Laboratory.

Productcaster webinar speakers

Here’s what the webinar will cover.

Google Shopping CSS if for life, not just for Christmas

At Productcaster, we have helped online retailers benefit from and save with our comparison shopping service. Working with established brands such as Argos, Joules, Durex and more, we understand the importance of Google Shopping Comparison Shopping Services (CSS) all year round. Although peak is the prime time to get on board with Google Shopping CSS, it is certainly for life, and not just for Christmas.

We know that peak time is fast approaching, however, it’s not too late to start benefiting from Google Shopping CSS. Watch the webinar replay to learn about how to save and improve your ROI from Google Shopping this Christmas and beyond, as well as how to take advantage of the Google SpendMatch incentive before it ends.

Choosing the right partner to protect your brand or your customer’s brand

With first-hand knowledge from both a retailer and agency side, discover top tips and insight about how to choose the right CSS partner that will protect your band, or your client’s brand.

This is an essential step that you must get right in order to maximise ROI from Google Shopping. In the webinar replay, you’ll be able to understand our top five tips for choosing the perfect CSS partner.

Client and agency success stories revealed

All this talk of CSS and Google Shopping savings is well and good, but where’s the proof?

In our webinar, we pulled back the curtain and shared the stories of how some of our clients have improved their ROI from Google Shopping advertising. Listen to the real-life studies that have helped brands improve their Google Shopping strategy to drive success.

First, Jeff Mainwood, Head of Performance Media at Sigma Sports, shared some key insights and successes that Sigma Sports has seen since partnering with Productcaster.

Peter Whitmarsh, Head of Paid Media at one of our agency partners, Search Laboratory, then talked about why he chose to work with Productcaster over other CSS partners. He also shared some insights and results that Search Laboratory has seen across its client portfolio since migrating campaigns to the Productcaster platform.

Q&A and online debate with peers and industry specialists

At the end of the webinar, we rounded up some of the questions that came in from attendees throughout. These triggered a lively discussion around key CSS and Google Shopping advertising-related themes, including:

Click here to watch the webinar replay.

Productcaster CEO, Hedley Aylott, recently shared his insights around Google comparison shopping service (CSS) partners and shopping feeds on the RetailTechNews podcast.

His expert opinion reveals tips and insight into retailers’ Productcaster feedback, as well as how to take advantage of reduced shopping spend through optimised feed production and management.

Here are some key insights from the interview; you can also listen to the podcast below.

Retailers are saving money on shopping spend and investing it

Since Google proposed new spend incentives for retailers who use a comparison shopping service provider, retailers are now able to use the money they are saving on costs per click (CPCs) spend into their feed quality and content. These reduced CPCs are also allowing retailers and brands to invest more money in generating traffic to their websites.

This is just one of the benefits of using a shopping comparison partner. Partnering up with a comparison partner other than Google is a quick and simple task. With an existing Google Ads account, link up with your shopping comparison partner and within 24 hours a relationship will be made between the ads and the comparison partner. For example, instead of the ads stating “By Google” they would then say “By Productcaster”. According to Aylott, there is no migration needed and absolutely no loss of data.

And he said the feedback from early Productcaster clients has been positive: “The feedback from the merchants or the retailers we work with around Europe is that they’re seeing really reduced CPCs for the auction, and they’re investing that money that they’ve saved either by not spending as much or they’re investing it in generating more traffic. So it’s been very positive from the people using it properly.”

Google wants a fair and positive user experience

For positive shopping comparison results, Google requires a positive experience for its users. Aylott recommended to retailers that page speed is crucial for a successful shopping experience. Once an ad is clicked, users will not wait around to see loading images and content.

Depending on the shopping feed size, it can be difficult to showcase overall consistency because feeds are often automatically produced. However, it is essential to check both the quality and quantity of images within the feed, as well as product descriptions and valid information. The more consistent the feed, the better the result within the SERP (search engine results page).

Mastering the art of feed production is essential for shopping comparison success
Productcaster is now helping retailers enrich their feeds with better content, which can bring benefits for both shopping comparison and in natural search. Since shopping comparison partners such as Productcaster are essentially casting products across the web, and the globe, there is a necessity for an accurate feed. Mistakes or inaccurate information could cost you a sale.

Telecoms as a category has never been particularly well-served by generic Google ads. In this instance, Aylott said that telecoms can be boosted by comparison sites such as Productcaster with relevant and detailed content, allowing consumers to make the right choices.

The importance of quality content

Aylott described how information around product, location, stores, availability, stock are crucial for a successful feed. “How many times have we seen in Google shopping the same fridge freezer, the same picture, the same description?”, he challenged.

He continued: “How can I make my description better than your description? You’re not going to do that by using the stock description that the manufacturer gives you.” Point of difference, accuracy and quality are all important attributes to outstanding feed content and that’s what Productcaster provides.

The difference between a good product feed and a bad product feed is simple; a bad feed will have gaps in its informational content. Aylott said, “In a product feed for Google Shopping, every product should have an EAN number.” Elsewhere, all fields relating to the item should be filled in, including pictures and a short description.

Product images and reviews are the difference between a click and a sale

Similar to producing quality content, high resolution and varied images are essential when producing a shopping feed. If images are missing from your feed, it is likely a user will go elsewhere to purchase their desired product.

As well as images, reviews are deemed more persuasive when making a buying decision. Particularly when buying more expensive products or white goods, reviews are a primordial factor when making a purchase. If your brand or company is willing to share customer reviews of both the product and service, it is more likely to be trusted by future customers.

The introduction of boutique comparison and the future

Aylott also shared his thoughts on the introduction of a “boutique shopping comparison service”. In the past, there has been a stigma surrounding the types of brands that would want to appear next to each other within comparison services with luxury brands being reluctant to be shown alongside budget retailers.

He stated: “I think there’s real space for perhaps providing more boutique comparison between brands that are happy to co-exist with each other.”

The future looks bright for Productcaster and Google Shopping, and upon being asked about future endeavours outside of Europe, Aylott said: “We are testing and trialling it in Europe, and we want to find a format and find the categories that are under-served today… and then we will look at which territories are applicable.”

You can listen to the podcast interview below (the Google CSS discussion begins at 27 minutes and 36 seconds):

The attractive incentives offered in Google Shopping earlier this year were enough to grab any retailer’s attention. In an effort to achieve a more balanced relationship within the shopping auction and improve overall competition, Google introduced the CSS Partner Programme.

Under the current incentives, Google currently offers SpendMatch discounts of up to €32,000 to merchants using CSS Partners. Dependent on spend, clients receive 20% to 30% SpendMatch.

However, from the 1st November this is changing.

The changes: What you need to know

How does this change impact you?

There is still plenty of opportunity for existing and new retail partners to take advantage of the SpendMatch and CPC saving in time for peak.

This is a high spending time of the year and the threshold for the incentive amount will be more than double from the 1st November. There is therefore a great opportunity for retailers to preserve budgets or gain even more traffic and revenue during peak.

In addition, when the competition for January sales traffic hits from 1st January, the opportunity to save up to 20% on CPCs will remain, so those savings continue to be important.

More information can be found on Google’s partner incentive page here. Our sales team are available to answer any questions and explain how we can help your business. Call us today on +44 (0)203 910 7026 or email cssteam@productcaster.com

Our timing was perfect when entering the Google Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) world. We were initially made aware of the opportunity due to our pedigree in developing best of breed technology solution, our knowledge as Google shopping experts and our singular focus on the retail vertical.

As an early CSS partner adopter, we learnt fast, setting up a dedicated team, who worked closely with Google in understanding the nuances that CSS brought to the table.

With 100+ partners now active and the CSS market continuing to grow, this early adopter status has been significantly important in ensuring that the technology we provide and the service levels that this brings are truly premium.

With this many partners across the EU, we appreciate how challenging finding the right partner is, which has only been exacerbated by the myths that have been communicated in the market. Taking this into account, here are our top five tips for choosing the right CSS partner maximising the benefits.

 

1) Select a proven CSS partner

With over 25 agency and more than 100 clients across Europe, we are one of only a handful of partners who are classified as a Google Premium Partner. This recognises that you are working with a partner who your peers trust, have confidence in and have realised the value of CSS.

Agencies and retailers who choose to work with Premium Partners can benefit from the provider’s in-depth knowledgeable and training, as well as a range of exclusive credit incentives that are currently being offered by Google to only Premium Partners.

 

2) Don’t take improved performance for granted

We have seen many retailers reap the rewards of the lower CPCs that can be gained from entering the shopping auction with a CSS partner. However, one myth in the market is that you can purely move to a CSS partner and reap the efficiency savings or additional sales and revenue straight away, without daily monitoring and changes to your campaigns.

Our performance measurement framework developed by our data science team, along with the consultative approach from our expert onboarding team, has ensured that our clients have realised the benefits aligned to their objectives at pace, with no false starts and full migration complete within one to two weeks.

 

3) Understand the CSS partner’s technology capability

Although the number of customers clicking through on the link promoting the CSS brand is low, this does happen and there is some incremental free traffic to benefit from.

Many providers in the market have developed a simple solution that is just good enough to meet CSS requirements and does not facilitate the basics, such as returning the product a user has clicked through on. Many of the sites also fail to deliver on the site speed benchmark of 3 seconds set by the industry.

As a marketing technology growth partner, our approach is to continuously invest in our roadmap for change, with weekly site releases. When you are next speaking to your existing or new CSS partner, ask what their plan for future development is, and how this will benefit your business. We actively involve our agency partners and retailers in our roadmap.

We have two options for agencies to take advantage of our market leading platform. We can either create your own branded comparison shopping site and become a CSS partner, or integrate your clients directly into the Productcaster comparison shopping site, which our agency partners are favouring to realise the benefits for their retail clients before peak.

 

4) Rest assured there are no new merchant centre or Google Ads accounts required

As seasoned experts in Google Shopping, we realised the need to have a solution which reduced the points of failure for migrating to CSS and reduced the setup and ongoing management of the campaigns.

We worked closely with the team at Google to recognise the most efficient and effective setup when testing and migrating to our Productcaster solution. We are surprised to still see CSS partners talking about the need to duplicate merchant centre or Google Ads accounts (or both); this is simply not the case.

 

5) Work with a partner with a sustainable charging approach

Our approach is to charge on a fixed fee basis to create certainty to the client on how much they will be invoiced each month. With peak around the corner, if you have signed up or are considering a partner who works on a percentage of media spend, consider what this actually means for the monthly payments that you will have to pay. If you are not careful, these may skyrocket out of control across October through to December.

Also be aware of partners who are offering a CSS solution at a low fixed monthly fee. Questions we recommend you ask include:

Contact our team today to find out how Productcaster can help your business.

Productcaster has been awarded Premium Partner status by search giant Google.

The coveted Premium Partner programme recognises expertise in helping agencies and retailers reach their customers through the Google Shopping platform, and cements Productcaster’s reputation as a leading Google Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) partner.

The award, which is only presented to a select few CSS partners, came as mattress manufacturing brand Eve became Productcaster’s 100th client – a key requirement for becoming an accredited Premium Partner.

Productcaster founder and CEO, Hedley Aylott, said: “We're delighted that Google has recognised us as a premium service by awarding us its coveted Premium Partner status, and we look forward to working closely with them in coming months. We're proud of the success we've given our clients as we look to grow their businesses and give retailers a much-needed advantage over their competitors.

“Since our launch in June of this year, we've witnessed an incredible appetite from both agency clients and retailers for a CSS partner offering competitive fees and transparency. The world of search can appear complicated and many are looking for a trusted partner who can help on-board and seamlessly migrate their inventory to connect with the growing number of consumers who begin their purchase journey with a Google Shopping ad.”

Google Shopping is a growing focus for retailers across Europe; a recent study found that 82% of retail search advertising spend goes through this channel. In order to reach their customers through Google Shopping, merchants must work with at least one CSS provider.

Since its launch following the EU’s antitrust ruling against Google, Productcaster has worked with a host of leading retailers and brands in the UK and Europe, including the likes of Argos, Durex, H.Samuel and Cdiscount. Productcaster also offers a unique white label service that allows agencies to pass on favourable media rates and cost per click (CPC) fees to their own clients.

Merchants and retailers who work with Productcaster will benefit from the CSS-provider’s in-depth training to help generate strong results and return on investment from the Google Shopping platform. They will also be able to take advantage of exclusive credit incentives and reduced media rates.

Following the award of Premium Partner status, Productcaster continues to invest in its CSS solution with weekly releases to ensure premium service to its partners and clients. If you’re interested in learning how Productcaster can help to improve your Google Shopping performance and reduce your media fees, get in touch with our team today.

Google CSS Premium Partner logo

This week, the Productcaster team will be attending and speaking at the ad:tech London 2018 event.

ad:tech is one of the largest marketing and advertising technology conferences in the UK and boasts over 250 expert speakers. These speakers will bring you insights from across the industry, and with dedicated theatres filled with like-minded professionals, you can soak up the knowledge around the latest marketing and advertising technology that is changing the way retailers work.

John Readman, Commercial Director of Productcaster, will be speaking at the Headline Theatre at ad:tech on Thursday 27th September about how to optimise Google Shopping campaigns at peak.
It is essential to understand how to target your customers and how to time your spend correctly with Google Shopping. But due to misinformation and poor understanding of performance-driven factors, the majority of retailers are not equipped to gain the best return on investment during peak.

Our team have helped established online retailers benefit from our comparison shopping service. From the likes of Argos, Durex, Joules and more, Productcaster helps save retailers time and money on their shopping campaigns. At John’s talk, you’ll learn about technologies that can help you or your clients improve the strategy behind peak campaigns.

Do you want to learn more about how you can maximise sales and drive better comparison shopping performance by gaining insights from John and the team? If you’re attending ad:tech and you’d like to meet for a coffee and a chat with our team about how Productcaster can help your business, pre-book an appointment by calling John on 07912214901 or emailing john.readman@productcaster.com.