Manufacturers and Brands Will Get Control Their Own Product Data Again
This past summer, Google announced the launch of its Manufacturer Center, in an effort to standardize product data from across all of its systems (including Google.com, Google Shopping, and other services). The end result is aimed to deliver more of an Amazon-like data experience for retailers.
The Google Manufacturer Center is a tool to allow original manufacturers to upload pertinent product data so that this data can be used (and will remain consistent and accurate) in product listing ads in all of Google’s environs. In other words, this new Manufacturer Center places control back into the hands of brands and manufacturers, while ensuring the validity of all product data.
Getting Started With Manufacturer Center
Getting started isn’t too difficult or time-consuming, albeit Manufacturer Center is open to just a select group of manufacturers at this time. Also, note that Manufacturer Center is not for retailers who sell products from manufacturers. Retailers who’d like to list items for sale on Google Shopping can set up an account via Merchant Center.
If you are a manufacturer who received an email invite, then you can use the link from the email to create your Manufacturer Center account.
Once you create an account, you’ll have to define at least one brand to start off with. You can then upload your product data – in one of Google’s supported file formats – in the Feeds section (you can only upload product data for brands you have defined).
You can also enter products individually, using the Product Editor, if you prefer.
Manufacturer Center allows you to see which products have been reviewed (go to the Products overview) or rejected. You can see the reasons why a product was rejected by heading to the Key Actions section.
Lastly, you can access and download analytics reports for all of your uploaded products, right from the data center.
Why Is Manufacturer Center Important?
Manufacturer Center allows manufacturers to have an influence over how their products appear within Google Shopping. By having this kind of control, manufacturers (and the retailers who sell their products) could potentially attract more shoppers, while also ensuring brand consistency. Brand consistency is key toward winning over repeat customers – but in earlier iterations of Google Shopping, consistency of products across various retailers was a real struggle.
With Manufacturer Center, manufacturers will be able to provide images, descriptions, and details about their products, in order to create more effective listings. And, if a product’s details ever change, the manufacturer can update the data at any time – leaving the retailer out of the mix.
Want To Learn More About Manufacturer Center?
Whether you’re a manufacturer or retailer, Google’s new Manufacturer Center unquestionably impacts how you conduct business. That’s why it’s important to understand how best to adapt your strategies with Manufacturer Center in mind.
We here at OperationROI have been closely monitoring this latest Google development, and have a firm grasp on how both manufacturers and retailers can adapt their methods in order to leverage the full benefits of this exciting data center.
Contact us today at 1-888-277-5429, or fill out our contact form, to get started on becoming a master of Google’s Manufacturer Center.
