Google has announced a mandatory upgrade to its Merchant Center Next for all retail users, set to be completed by September. This update brings significant enhancements to the platform, which serves as the central hub for managing product listings across Google's ecosystem
Merchant Center Next provides retailers with a comprehensive platform to manage their product listings, create new product imagery, measure performance, and plan ahead. The new Merchant Center, introduced last year, has shown significant improvements in retention and engagement among online merchants, with a 25% increase in omnichannel merchants adding product offers.
Merchant Center Next Key Features
- AI-powered content creation tool.
- Helps generate tailored product assets, animate still images, and tweak existing images.
- Simplifies tasks like background removal and image resolution enhancement.
- 80% of users find it efficient, and one in three generated images are published or downloaded.
Merchant Center Next:
- Consolidated analytics tab for easy access to insights.
- Includes pricing reports and competitive visibility tools.
- Retail-specific Search trends help merchants stay updated on popular trends and compare them to their products.
- High satisfaction among users for insights and reporting tools.
Platform Navigation:
- Improved intuitive navigation and setup success rate.
- Simplified website verification and pre-populated product information.
- Homepage suggestions for optimizing Google presence.
- Easy product management and control over product appearance on Google.
- Customization options for advanced users, including loyalty programs.
These updates streamline the use of Merchant Center, allowing retailers to focus on growth by reducing time-consuming tasks. Retailers who haven't upgraded yet will receive an email invitation soon.
