Google has implemented Shipping Confidence Values (CVs), a new metric system that evaluates the accuracy of merchants' shipping promises against actual delivery performance in Google Shopping.
Shipping CVs operate on a scale of 0% to 100%, measuring the alignment between promised and actual shipping times and costs. Higher percentages indicate greater accuracy in shipping information provided to customers.
Impact on Ad Performance
High CV Benefits
- Enhanced ad rankings
- Eligibility for "Get it Fast" annotations
- Increased visibility in shopping listings
Low CV Consequences
- Reduced ad rankings
- Fewer fast shipping annotations
- Potential removal of shipping speed and price information from advertisements
CV Calculation Method
Google evaluates shipping performance through multiple data points:
- Merchant Center shipping settings
- Website shipping information
- Order tracking data
- Generally available shipping data
Optimization Strategies
To maintain strong Shipping Confidence Values, merchants should:
- Provide comprehensive shipping details in Merchant Center, including regional variations
- Ensure consistency between website and Google Shopping shipping information
- Enable Google's StoreBot access to checkout and shipping policy pages
- Submit order tracking data through partner integrations or the Content API for Shopping
The implementation of Shipping CVs underscores Google's commitment to accurate shipping information in its shopping platform, making it crucial for merchants to maintain reliable shipping data for optimal ad performance.
