Shopping Blog

Say you have a list of errands as long as your arm, but the weather couldn’t be more perfect. Run errands or run in the park? Google Shopping Express, a service that offers same-day delivery from local stores, lets you do both.

Earlier this year, we invited some Bay Area shoppers to help us test Google Shopping Express. Today, we’re excited to make Google Shopping Express available to everyone living or working in our Bay Area delivery zones, from San Francisco to San Jose. This new service brings the speed of the web to the real world by helping you shop your favorite local stores online—in a single place—and get what you need delivered the same day. We are also launching a new mobile app, available for both Android and iOS, to bring you the convenience of Google Shopping Express even when you’re on-the-go.


Your favorite stores, all in one place
Whether you’ve run out of something essential or need to get a last-minute gift, you can shop your favorite stores all in one place, and get everything delivered in just a few hours. With Google Shopping Express, you can shop national, regional, and local stores, including American Eagle, Blue Bottle Coffee, Lucky, Office Depot, Palo Alto Toy & Sport, Photojojo, Raley’s Nob Hill Foods, Staples, Target, Toys“R”Us/Babies“R”Us, and Walgreens. And starting today, you can also fill your cart with items from DODOcase, Guitar Center, L’Occitane, REI, and Whole Foods Market.

Same prices and promotions as in-store
Stores price the items on Google Shopping Express the same as they do in-store, so you’ll pay the same amount for whatever you’re buying. You can add your retailer loyalty program number at checkout to take advantage of member prices. We’re working with many more local retailers and look forward to bringing them to Google Shopping Express soon.

Shopping made simple - wherever you are
To make it easier for you to buy what you need on-the-go, we’re also launching the Google Shopping Express app for Android (v4.0+) and iOS (v6.0+). With the app, you can easily order your essentials, search for specific items, or browse different stores wherever you are—and have them delivered right to your door that day. You can download the app on the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.


Getting it delivered on your schedule
With Google Shopping Express you can select a delivery window that’s convenient for you, starting in the morning and running as late as 9pm. To make this all work, our engineers put their heads together to figure out the most efficient way to get all the packages delivered across town in the delivery windows promised. And be sure to keep your eye out for our new hybrid fleet around town.


Want to give it a try? For a limited time, you can get six months of free, unlimited same-day delivery when you sign up for our free membership.* To get started, visit google.com/shopexpress.

We want to thank all of our early testers who shared their invaluable feedback to help us improve the service. We’re always looking to make Google Shopping Express better, so please continue to share your feedback with us. Let us know what you think and get updates by following Google Shopping Express on Google+.

Happy shopping!

Posted by Tom Fallows, Product Management Director, Google Shopping Express

*Your account must be in good standing to remain eligible. Offer expires 12/31/2013. For complete terms and conditions see g.co/shopexpressterms.

To kick off this fall shopping season, Google is teaming up with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and popular fashion designers to experiment with a new social shopping experience. This exclusive shopping app for Google+ Hangouts On Air allows retailers to discuss trends or specific products in a publicly broadcasted multi-person video chat while customers can simultaneously browse or buy a curated selection of products available for purchase online. The first shoppable Hangout On Air will launch with Diane von Furstenberg on October 3, 2013 at 8 pm ET. She will be inviting fans to join her on the Hangout as she shares top trends this season from her headquarters in New York City. To participate, visit: www.dvf.com/shopthehangout

This October, Rebecca Minkoff, Rachel Zoe, and Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of rag & bone will also be sharing their fall collections using the shopping app for Hangouts On Air. To learn more, follow the designers and the Council of Fashion Designers of America on Google+.  

Posted by Ria Tobaccowala, Google+ Lifestyle Partnerships & Laura Jones, Shopping Product Marketing Manager

Earlier this year, we announced the Google Wallet Objects API, which helps merchants connect their loyalty programs and offers with Google Wallet. Today, we are excited to announce the first set of merchant loyalty programs that are live for users in the new Google Wallet app: Alaska Airlines, Belly and Red Mango.

The new Google Wallet app is rolling out this week in the US and is available on any Android device (v2.3+). As a merchant, you can now showcase your loyalty program within the app, and have Google Wallet users sign up for your program instantly from their phone. You can also engage your customers in real time no matter where they are, with one-to-one messaging promoting new programs or promotions. You will also have the ability to display loyalty status and rewards balance directly in the app. Customers can easily redeem their loyalty programs in your stores by simply scanning their phone at checkout. In the coming days, customers who have loaded a loyalty program in the Google Wallet app will also see a Google Now card when they are near one of your stores.

 In addition, if you are a merchant or couponing site, you can connect offers directly from your properties to Google Wallet. For example, [starting later this week,] visitors on Valpak.com can browse offers, save their favorite ones directly to their Google Account and easily redeem in store using the Google Wallet app at checkout. With the Google Wallet Objects API, you also get richer analytical insights to inform your marketing campaigns.

We’re excited to welcome more merchants to the loyalty platform soon, including Avis Car Rental, BJ’s Restaurants, Cosi, Hard Rock International, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Raley’s and The Body Shop. Couponing sites and platforms SnipSnap, RetailMeNot, Thinaire and Koupon Media are also coming soon.

To learn more, please visit our website, and to get started in the program, submit your information here.

UPDATE: The Google Wallet app is now available for iPhone (iOS 6.0+) and Valpak offers are now live. 

Posted by Pali Bhat, Group Product Manager, Google Wallet

(Cross-posted from the Google Enterprise Blog)

Posted by Meghdutt Brahmachari, Product Marketing Manager, Google Enterprise No wonder the customers of Speedway Motors love the retailer so much. The world’s largest manufacturer of specialty hot-rodding and racing products is using Google Search Appliance (GSA) to help car-racing fanatics quickly find and buy the hard-to-find parts they need from among thousands of items. Fast, relevant search creates loyal customers, including a handful who have been getting their parts from Speedway Motors for more than 30 years. In our upcoming Hangout On Air with Speedway Motors - taking place Thursday, September 19th at 10 a.m. PT - you can hear Chris Chance, Speedway’s Director of IT, chat with Joe Davidoff, North American Sales Manager for Google Commerce Search. Also, Dwayne Remekie, Practice Director for enterprise solutions consultant GroupBy, will show a demo of GroupBy's product that uses Google’s relevance model to provide a best-in-class merchandising tool that integrates with GSA.

Chris and Joe will talk about the role that Google Search Appliance plays in the Speedway customer service story, and Chris will also share his insights on these questions:

• How has better search helped Speedway increase conversions by 45%, and boost search revenue by 116%? 
• Why is search relevance so important to customers? 
• What search features help customers quickly find the products they need? 

If you missed our previous Hangout On Air with Ocado, the world’s largest online grocer, you can catch up on the details.


RSVP for the Speedway Motors Hangout On Air, and take part in the Q&A by posting your questions on Google+ or Twitter using the the hashtag #GoneGoogle.

Posted by Meghdutt Brahmachari, Product Marketing Manager, Google Enterprise

Earlier this year, we announced the Google Wallet Objects API, which helps merchants connect their loyalty programs and offers with Google Wallet. Today, we are excited to announce the first set of merchant loyalty programs that are live for users in the new Google Wallet app: Alaska Airlines, Belly and Red Mango.

The new Google Wallet app is rolling out this week in the US and is available on any Android device (v2.3+). As a merchant, you can now showcase your loyalty program within the app, and have Google Wallet users sign up for your program instantly from their phone. You can also engage your customers in real time no matter where they are, with one-to-one messaging promoting new programs or promotions. You will also have the ability to display loyalty status and rewards balance directly in the app. Customers can easily redeem their loyalty programs in your stores by simply scanning their phone at checkout. In the coming days, customers who have loaded a loyalty program in the Google Wallet app will also see a Google Now card when they are near one of your stores.

In addition, if you are a merchant or couponing site, you can connect offers directly from your properties to Google Wallet. For example, starting later this week, visitors on Valpak.com can browse offers, save their favorite ones directly to their Google Account and easily redeem in store using the Google Wallet app at checkout. With the Google Wallet Objects API, you also get richer analytical insights to inform your marketing campaigns.

We’re excited to welcome more merchants to the loyalty platform soon, including Avis Car Rental, BJ’s Restaurants, Cosi, Hard Rock International, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Raley’s and The Body Shop. Couponing sites and platforms SnipSnap, RetailMeNot, Thinaire and Koupon Media are also coming soon. To learn more, please visit our website, and to get started in the program, submit your information here.

Posted by Pali Bhat, Group Product Manager, Google Wallet

From managing inventory levels, to juggling promotions, to tackling catalog churn - online retail moves quickly, and so should you.

To help you navigate the rapidly-changing retail landscape, we invite you to join our Hangout on Air: Moving at the Speed of Retail. Come hear search leaders from iProspect, Performics, and DoubleClick discuss the latest industry trends, challenges and use cases in retail SEM today. Some of the topics we’ll cover include:

• Tying inventory levels and promotions to search campaigns, in real-time
• Boosting performance with retail-specific bid optimization strategies and best practices
• Finding more cross-channel opportunities through remarketing tactics

Participants: 
Jessica Dearien, Account Leader, iProspect
Dave Strong, Group Account Director, Performics
Matthew Eichner, Head of DoubleClick Search
Dan Arwady, DoubleClick Search Account Manager

Register here to attend the Hangout on September 25th, 2013 at 11:00am PST / 1:00pm CST / 2:00pm EST. Tune in for the session, and interact with the panel via Hangouts-enabled Q&A.

We hope to see you there!

Posted by Justin Huskamp, The DoubleClick Search Team

How do shoppers use digital to research and buy luxury goods? Google teamed up with Ipsos to reveal how affluent consumers shop for high-end fashion, accessories and jewelry. We found luxury buyers are digital-savvy: They are multiscreen consumers, they use the internet more than any other medium for research, and most still make their purchases in a store.

To learn learn more about luxury shopping behaviors, access the Lap of Luxury Infographic or full study on Google Think Insights.  

Posted by Katrina Echt, The Google Fashion Brands Team

With less than three months to Black Friday, the holiday shopping season is quickly approaching. We know that advertisers with Product Listing Ads campaigns are in search of new ways to optimize their product data and drive more traffic to their stores.

Two weeks ago, we hosted Google Shopping Office Hours via Hangouts on Air to share general advice on data feeds and unique product identifiers. We saw great engagement and will be broadcasting additional sessions, deep-diving into topics that will help prepare your data feeds for the holidays. Below is a calendar of Google Shopping Office Hours for the upcoming months. We encourage you to attend sessions of interest. We’ll discuss the topic for the first 20 minutes then open up the forum to live Q&A. If you already know what you’d like to ask or want to request a topic, feel free to submit your responses here. Questions on the event pages below will also answered in the Q&A.

Troubleshooting Disapprovals 
Tuesday, September 24, 2013 @ 10:00 AM PT 
What do I do if my feed is disapproved? 
What are the common data feed and data quality pitfalls?
How do I ensure all my products are approved? 
Registration Link 

Scaling Inventory Updates 
Tuesday, October 8, 2013 @ 10:00 AM PT 
What are the best practices for updating and editing my feed? 
What are the various data feed upload methods? 
What are the pros and cons of each method? 
Registration Link

Optimizing Product Attributes 
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 @ 10:00 AM PT 
How do I improve my data quality? 
What should I optimize? 
Registration Link

Posted by Chris Azalde, Product Specialist, Google Shopping