Essence of Email Weekly - Google expands eCommerce support with free product listings in Search

Google is back at it. After making product listings free for retailers in its Shopping tab back in April this year, the tech giant is now including search listings for products. So, the eCommerce potential of the platform is continuing to expand and retailers are set to benefit.
As Bill Ready, President of Commerce at Google, explains:
"Free listings in Google Search results make your offers more accessible to the hundreds of millions of people who shop on Google each day, connecting you to more customers in more places – whether they're across the country or across the street. […] Currently, the buying options in this panel are all sponsored links. Starting this summer, these listings will be free."
The change will provide more opportunities for more brands to get their products in front of consumers looking for specific items. As with its free listings in Google Shopping, Google has been working on the new development for some time. But it's now accelerating its plans in order to help merchants impacted by the COVID-19 shutdowns. This means that its product listings will eventually be displayed in order of relevance, as with regular search results, as opposed to paid rankings.
What's less surprising is that advertisers can still choose to pay to boost their product listings, just as they can in normal search results. Google will continue to allow advertisers to generate more exposure through paid product listings, though the majority of results displayed will be free.
Take a look at the full article for more detail.
ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS
Unleash the power of email marketing
Maximizing your email results is a whole lot easier when you've got the right marketing tools. Luckily, an eCommerce platform, Ecwid, is partnering with Mailchimp to provide small businesses with a comprehensive set of tools. For those who haven't heard of Ecwid before, it's a competitor to Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce.
As published on their website last Thursday, Mailchimp for Ecwid said it will allow small and medium businesses to share data from its Ecwid stores to build email lists, create targeted email campaigns, and recommend products.
"Most ESPs (email service providers) limit the number of emails that can be sent from an individual account at any one time," Ecwid writes. "So, to do email marketing effectively, you'll generally need to use a specialized service — like Mailchimp — to build your email list and send campaigns in bulk."
By using online store data with Mailchimp, users can:
Passively build email lists from customer email addresses
Promote live products in email campaigns
Use order data to segment their audiences and personalize messages
Recover abandoned carts with reminder emails that encourage customers to complete their purchases
Ecwid's market share at this point is only 0.73%. Even though it probably isn't the first choice for the big players in the eCommerce world, the new Mailchimp integration, as well as its simple and easy-to-use interface, might take Ecwid a few places higher on the list of eCommerce platforms. At the moment, it holds 16th place with over 10,000 websites using it.
Take a look at Ecwid's blog for an in-depth look at the platform's functionality.
ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS
Wishpond forms email integration with Shopify to help eCommerce brands
We've got more good news on the eCommerce front. Wishpond just announced a brand new Shopify integration that allows Shopify business owners to grow their email lists, send targeted campaigns, and track revenue in real time – all from inside Wishpond's platform.
Building on its comprehensive suite of marketing tools including landing pages, email marketing, and marketing automation, Wishpond is now a complete solution for Shopify merchants to grow their sales online.
Leveraging the power of this new integration, Shopify merchants will now be able to send highly targeted campaigns and email flows.
MARKETING
July boycott: Marketing without Facebook Ads
Prominent brands and civil rights groups are leading the charge for a July 2020 boycott of Facebook Ads. They want to see changes implemented to the platform and are organizing under the hashtag #StopHateForProfit.
Personal views on these issues aside, it's important for brands to make informed decisions about how to approach this boycott. Search Engine Land is offering a list of solutions to inspire an alternative media plan if your brand decides to stop using Facebook Ads.
The article emphasizes that it can take time to build traction when brands test new tactics and platforms. It's also worth remembering that Instagram and WhatsApp are owned by Facebook, so they aren't viable alternatives if you want to fully participate in the boycott.
If you're planning to avoid Facebook, there are lots of other forms of marketing to try. But trusty old email is always a great first choice. When it comes to email marketing, Search Engine Land says:
"Having first laid a strong foundation and rapport sharing messaging about your brand's commitment to action with causes like #BlackLivesMatter and #StopHateForProfit, it may next be appropriate to layer in a cadence of promotional messaging, especially if you have a sale or product launch to highlight."
Take a look at the full article.
ECOMMERCE
Easy eCommerce
Wix, the website builder, recently announced the launch of an extended eCommerce suite.
The new Wix eCommerce solution provides merchants, entrepreneurs, and retail brands of all sizes with must-have features, like customizable branded storefronts and carts, multi-channel sales, hassle-free dropshipping, and a whole lot more.
The new service allows retailers, brands, and merchants to build and scale their eCommerce business, from optimized shopping and payment experiences for customers to business and finance management tools.
To further empower business owners, Wix launched the Wix eCommerce School. Through this portal, users can access live and on-demand sessions to learn from successful Wix merchants, eCommerce agencies, and insider experts. To learn more about new Wix's eCommerce solutions, visit their website.
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