Google Shopping opens back up for wine & spirits merchants
Many beer and wine sellers took a hit last year when Google decided to no longer allow these “adult products” to be sold on the Google Shopping engine. There wasn’t much notice, and retailers were left scrambling to figure out how to recoup these lost online sales. However, that ban is about to be lifted.
When the ban was set, Google stated that alcohol belonged in a class of products deemed “not-family-safe.” The result was that these products lost out on one of the three listing options available to retailers on Google’s homepage. Google Products (Base) has proven to be a way for retailers to get a step ahead of review sites and comparison shopping engines. The other two options that remained for these sellers were:
- Organic Search (SEO)
- Search Marketing (SEM) or Adwords
The overturn of the ban will once again allow wine and beer merchants to optimize their ad and marketing campaigns on a multi-tiered basis.
What to know about this change
First, it’s important to know what is allowed back on Google Shopping:
- Beer
- Wine
- Cider
- Sake
- Champagne
Hard liquor is still not allowed.
These products will be referred to as “adult products,” and requires some work by the merchants in order to be listed, but it can be done!
For starters, you must log into your Google Merchant Center, and head to Settings > General, and click the box that says, “This site contains adult products as defined by our policy.”
Checking this box is a vital step. Without it, your products will not be listed.
In addition to the adult products listed above, Google is also opening up the market to accessories such as containers, packaging, wine storage, and alcohol-making kits.
The last vital piece of information you need to know as a merchant is that your intended country of sale must be one of the following in order to abide by their policy:
United States, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Making the most of your online campaign
This recent ban-reversal opens up a world of possibility to beer and wine merchants. But it’s important that you take this opportunity to create effective campaigns that not only abide by Google’s policy, but also gets you the greatest return on investment. Talk to one of our experts by calling us at 1-888-277-5429, or by filling out our contact form. We’ll be sure to help you create the most effective campaign for your business and products.
