Why Amazon shunning Google Shopping could be good news for your business

Earlier this year, Google replaced its Google Product Search with a new service – Google Shopping. The most significant change this brought about was that whereas merchants could previously list with Google for free, they would now have to pay to be included.

Sameer Samat, vice president of product management for Google, said at the time that “this is about delivering the best answers for people searching for products and helping connect merchants with the right customers.” You can come to your own conclusions as to the reasons behind the switch.

However, now the service has been up and running for a while, not everyone is buying into Google’s master plan, namely shopping giant Amazon.

Case in point: Type ‘Kindle Fire HD’ into Google Shopping (US version; this seems to be US specific at the moment), and you will be greeted with a number of results. However, one notable omission is that of Amazon, the company who actually make the Kindle. Odd you may think, but why should Amazon pay Google for a listing that pretty much everyone already knows about. Amazon doesn’t need help in bringing people to its site; it’s a worldwide brand now as recognisable as any other. They will still get a significant amount of traffic without the listing.

Consequently, this opens up the door ever so slightly for other business that retail the product, and if Amazon is doing it, maybe others are too. Maybe also those in the UK. This gives smaller businesses the chance to get their products higher on the Google Shopping listings than perhaps would have been previously possible.

This highlights the importance of having a high quality e-commerce website. If someone does find their way to your site, then it needs to look good and be fully functional. It takes skill and time to make these things happen and so employing an outside agency may well be the way forward if you aren’t well versed in such areas. For example, internet marketing agency Click Consult has an expert website development team who can work with you to create an e-commerce capable website and help maximise conversions.

Everyone has heard about the problems high streets are having and there has never been a better time to get into the world of e-commerce. Of course, if you don’t sell high street products and target a much more niche market, then e-commerce is likely the best platform from which to sell your products anyway. As such, it pays to have a website that provides potential customers with the most user-friendly experience possible.

Whilst the Amazon/Google Shopping issue may not affect you directly, it still opens up the opportunity for smaller businesses to compete with the major retailers. If you would like to speak with an expert web development team who understand the complexities of the e-commerce industry, contact Click Consult today.