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(cross-posted on the Inside AdWords Blog ) On June 11th, Google Shopping will complete the transition to a commercial model in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. When the transition is complete, free product listings will no longer appear on Google Shopping. We believe this new model, built on Product Listing Ads , will help retailers of all sizes connect the right products with customers around the world, increase clicks to their sites, and convert more shoppers into buyers. Onward and upward We've been pleased with the rapid adoption of Google Shopping by the global retail community. Over 1 billion products are now being promoted globally on Google Shopping, largely driven by a 300% year-on-year growth in participating sellers (including many aggregators and marketplaces). And we’ve seen 20% growth in traffic to retailers over the past year. Global merchant success stories We’ve hear...

Every day, millions of people turn to YouTube for advice, from learning how to do the perfect smokey eye to trying out a new recipe for mashed potatoes . People are using YouTube not just for entertainment, but to learn a new skill, find more information, and shop for products. This presents a unique opportunity for consumer goods brands to reach shoppers in the moment and provide them with an easy way to go from watching a video to purchasing the product. To shorten the path to purchase and translate video views to sales, today we’re introducing a new channel gadget on YouTube that will enable consumer goods brands to connect consumers directly with retailers throughout the entire YouTube experience. This new channel gadget will enable shoppers to seamlessly move from browsing how-to videos and featured products to finding which retailers carry them, check availability, compare prices and make a purchase, all with fewer clicks than today. Unilever has partnered with Google to highli...

This week marks the start of a new series of Learn with Google webinars specifically for those of you interested in getting started with Google Shopping. Each webinar will give you building blocks for the next in the series, and will get you up and running with Google Shopping in no time. Check out the schedule and register below: Google Shopping: From Search to Sale Shopping 101: Google Shopping for Beginners on May 15 Shopping 201: Maximize Profitability with Google Shopping on June 5 Shopping 301: Creating & Optimizing Product Listing Ads on June 20 Each webinar is held at 10 PT/ 1 ET and includes live expert Q&A. Visit our webinar site to register for any of the live sessions and to access our large library of recorded content. You can also stay up-to-date on the schedule by adding our Learn with Google calendar to your own Google calendar to automatically see upcoming webinars. Posted by Erin Molnar, The Learn with Google Team

(cross-posted from the Inside AdWords Blog ) Smartphones are our constant shopping companions - helping us research, compare, and even purchase products online and in stores. We’ve already seen that smartphones are key to pre-purchase activities . With 84% of mobile shoppers now using their phones to help with shopping in physical stores, smartphones are now as commonplace in stores as shopping carts and cash registers. In “Mobile In-Store Research: How in-store shoppers are using mobile devices”, with the help of M.A.R.C. Research and the Google Shopper Council, we set out to understand mobile’s role in stores and how marketers can take advantage. We found that across the board, shoppers who use mobile more actually spend more in store, so marketers should face the mobile in-store challenge head on and own the digital shelf. Smartphones are transforming the retail experience Now that consumers have product details, price comparisons and reviews available instantly at their fingertips,...

(cross-posted on the Inside AdWords Blog ) Last year, we announced the rollout of the new Google Shopping commercial model built on Product Listing Ads both in the United States and globally . We believe these changes, and the improved user experience, will create new opportunities for merchants and help retailers of all sizes attract more customers to their stores. The quality of data provided by merchants is critical for achieving these goals. Therefore, we're announcing some changes to the Google Shopping Feed Specification : We are improving our support for merchant-defined multipacks . For example, many consumer products like toothpaste are sold in custom multipacks. The feed specification now clarifies how such products should be submitted We are moving towards a world with high-resolution displays. Therefore, we are also starting to recommend higher-quality images with at least 800 pixels in height and width to give users a better visual representation of advertised produc...

(cross-posted from the Inside AdWords Blog ) At Google, one of our goals is to help make the web work for you. Today we’re announcing a new series of Learn with Google webinars, which will teach you how to use digital to build brand awareness, and give you the tools you need to drive sales and grow loyalty and retention. Each of our sessions gives you deep-dive educational content, across a breadth of products and marketing objectives, in a format that’s convenient for you. Every webinar is led by Google product experts and includes time for audience Q&A. Sign up to start becoming a smarter digital marketer now. Upcoming live webinars: May 09 [Search] Enhanced Campaigns 206: Google+ and Enhanced Campaigns 14 [YouTube] Driving Direct Response with Video 15 [Shopping] Google Shopping 101: Google Shopping for Beginners 16 [Research] New Research: How US Shoppers use Smartphones in Stores 21 [Mobile] Driving Deeper Engagement with your App Users 23 [Search] Enhanced Campaigns 208: Offe...