New tools are on the way for small enterprises

Have you heard about Google Merchant Center’s new feature- Product Studio?

We are excited to announce that Google Merchant Center now includes a “Product Studio” new feature. It is a visually driven workflow that enables online merchants to streamline their product data management process and is designed to assist merchants in generating unique product imagery using AI technology. You will find this new feature on Merchant Center Next, which simplifies the product creation and approval process by providing a clear view of all the product information in one place and allowing merchants to edit multiple products at the same time. It is a user-friendly platform for businesses to manage the appearance of their products on Google.

Before stepping into Google Merchant Center, you need to understand the importance of selling on eCommerce.

Eye-catching images are important in e-commerce marketing as they serve as a digital storefront for businesses. Including multiple product images can increase impressions and clicks.

However, obtaining high-quality lifestyle images can be expensive and time-consuming.

To address this, the new Product Studio uses generative AI to help businesses create unique and free product imagery, making it easier to get more value from existing images.

Here are several important elements to consider:

The first important feature is the ability to add custom product scenes without incurring the expenses of new photoshoots. This allows companies to create new images based on different marketing needs such as seasonal promotions or experimental campaigns. An example could be a skincare company requesting an image of a product featuring a special seasonal version, surrounded by peaches and tropical plants in the background.
Need to get rid of a distracting background in your product image and replace it with a simple white background? Use Product Studio to easily remove a complex background.
Enhance the clarity and detail of low-quality or undersized images without requiring the need for retaking photographs.

Starting in the next few months, U.S. merchants can use Product Studio, which is accessible on Merchant Center Next, to list their products on Google's improved platform. Additionally, these features will also be provided to merchants who use the Google & YouTube app on Shopify.

Simplifying the process of listing businesses on Google

The number of businesses using Merchant Center has doubled in the past two years, and we’ve been working to make it even more helpful. Merchant Center Next is a simplified version of the platform, built to make it easier for smaller merchants to get started, find customers online and grow their businesses. And while we’re simplifying, the features that larger retailers rely on aren’t going anywhere.

One way we’re doing that is simplifying how to set up a product feed. In the past, merchants setting themselves up on Google for the first time had to manually add their products, prices, images, descriptions, and other details. In Merchant Center Next, we’ll automatically populate a merchant’s product feed with the information we can detect from their website (merchants can always edit what gets pulled in or turn this off) — making it easier to quickly show their products across Google.

How do you currently manage your product inventory?

Merchant Center Next is designed to provide merchants with a more convenient way to manage their online and brick-and-mortar stores. With this tool, merchants can view all their products in one place and easily update their inventory. Additionally, the platform offers insights on how to fix product data errors and prioritize updates. This new feature is gradually being rolled out to smaller businesses and will be available globally by 2024. Merchants will be notified when the upgrade is ready for them.