Shopping Actions FAQ
How to think about Shopping Actions Ads and PLA?
Shopping Actions is complementary to an existing presence on Google Shopping: with both Shopping Actions Ads and PLA a merchant gets increased overall impressions and clicks on Google We are growing overall business and merchant’s presence on ...
How does Shopping Actions on Search interact with PLA?
Shopping Actions on Search and PLA operate separately - PLA is auction-based whereas Shopping Actions on Search is triggered based on user intent and offer quality. If a retailer has an offer that is eligible to be served both in the Search unit with ...
How is Shopping Actions on Search triggered?
It serves when we are confident it will provide a good user experience. Google understands signals of when a user is ready to transact and where they are in the purchase funnel. Factors include offer relevancy to query, shipping speed, price, ...
How is Shopping Actions different from Purchases on Google?
The overall transactions strategy at Google is not changing. We are still looking to improve users’end-to-end shopping experiences with merchants across Google Surfaces and help them drive incremental sales. As with the previous transactions product, ...
This is all US only, when will Shopping Actions with Google Express be available internationally?
Shopping Actions is not currently available outside the US. We are currently evaluating expansion beyond the US and will provide additional details when available.
How does this differ from Actions on Google?
There are two paths to engagement for merchants to sell their inventory on the Google Assistant: Google-led experience via Shopping Actions or Local Inventory Ads which automatically surface your inventory on the Google Assistant. No additional work ...
Why would a merchant sell products via Google Assistant?
7 in 10 smartphone owners speak to their devices to get answers to questions. 41% of users would like to make/manage shopping lists by speaking to a digital assistant. As consumers become more used to voice search for their day to day activities, ...
What is API integration for orders?
For Shopping Actions, the order management system will be an API integration made available throughFeedonomics (FeedAMP). FeedAMP already accommodates integrations with Shopify Big Commerce Magento Woocommerce and all other platforms through FTP ...
How will the sales be reported?
Sales will be visible to merchants via dashboards within Merchant Center and merchants will also be able to pull transactional reports from the Payments tab within Merchant Center. Sales data is also reported directly to the merchant via the API ...
How does the payment flow work?
Google captures funds from users and regularly remits payments to merchants less refunds and interchange fees (as we are processing the transaction on the merchant’s behalf). Google will then invoice merchants on a monthly basis for all commissions ...
How will a merchant be invoiced?
Merchants will be invoiced on a monthly basis for commissions owed. The invoice will be sent from billing-noreply@google.com to an email address the retailer has stipulated during the onboarding process. Merchants are also able to access invoicing ...
How is the merchant charged for orders?
Merchants are charged a commission fee for all orders. Prior to accepting the terms & conditions, commission rates can be found in the terms of service in Merchant Center. After accepting the terms & conditions, commission rates can be found on the ...
How are customer service questions handled?
Customer support will be handled by Google, however merchants must adhere to a required response time SLA of 8 business hours for any customer service issues escalated by Google to their customer service teams.
What is the returns process now that Google is handling customer service and returns with users?
Google-facilitated returns are required for Shopping Actions retailers. Our return process helps provide a consistent and reliable customer experience. To ensure this consistent customer experience, Shopping Actions requires all items to at least ...
Who fulfills orders, sends customer communications, and leads customer service?
Customers are not buying from Google; they’re buying from the merchant, with Google processing the payment and helping to guarantee customer satisfaction. Merchants will be responsible for fulfilling the order, while Google will be responsible for ...
What customer data will Google share with merchants?
In order to fulfill the order placed, Google will share the customer’s name, shipping address and proxy email with that merchant. If a user opts in to marketing choice, we will also share the customer’s real email address with the merchant.
What are the marketing opt-in rights for the retailers?
For Search/GX platform, Google will mirror the merchant's own site behavior If the box is unchecked on merchant site, then Google mirror that and users can choose to opt-in If the box is checked on merchant site, then Google mirror that and users can ...
Does Google provide sales volume breakout between Search, Google Express and the Assistant?
Not at this time.
Can items added to the basket across Google properties be purchased through a single checkout?
Yes, within Shopping Actions all items (no matter from Search, Google Express or the Assistant) are added to the same shopping cart and can be checked out with a single transaction.
What is the product roadmap for 2018 and beyond?
The following features are on the roadmap but we are still working through the timeline and specific features: Buy Online Pickup in Store (BOPIS) Conversion optimization through initiatives like Merchant Specific Basket Building, Merchant Promotions, ...
Is Shopping Actions available to non-US merchants?
Non-US based clients can participate in Shopping Actions as long as they meet the following criteria: Do local fulfillment in the US Able to accept/disburse payments in the US (through a US bank account) Adhere to the same category restrictions as in ...
What are the eligibility criteria to participate in Shopping Actions?
In order to be eligible for the program, the merchant needs to pass trust, safety and data quality tests run by the Shopping Actions team. Furthermore, merchants Must allow returns for up to 30 days from delivery Must not have restocking fees Must ...
What are the benefits of Shopping Actions?
Shopping Actions allows merchants to surface their inventory on Search, Google Express and the Google Assistant. The product helps deliver a unified experience along the entire shopping journey, making it simpler for users to buy merchant products. ...
How do I complete Shopping Actions merchant center settings?
Once you have been approved for Google Shopping Actions, you will need to start configuring your Shopping Actions settings in the Google Merchant Center. Add Branding - There are very specific requirements for your branding that you need to implement ...
How do I get started with Google Shopping Actions?
First ensure your products and business can comply with Shopping Actions Policies. Most noticeably, you must be able to accomodate A minimum 30-day return policy for all items, starting from their delivery date. Allow an extra 20 days from the end ...
What commissions are charged on Google Shopping Actions?
For Shopping Actions, the commission rates detailed below will apply to the final net price charged, including any shipping fees assessed, to the Program User. The commission will be calculated based on the item category as determined by Google at ...
How do I handle orders with Google Shopping Actions?
There are two ways to handle orders for Shopping Actions. With FeedAMP Orders API FeedAMP makes use of Google's Orders API & helps you automatically ingest and update orders using your own ecommerce or order management system. Here are things to ...
How do I list my products on Google Shopping Actions?
To list your products on Google Shopping Actions, you can use your existing Google Shopping feed, with a few more additional fields added, either into your existing feed, or as a supplementary feed. If you do not have a Google Shopping feed with ...