Reach out to your Customers via the Smartphones and Tablets

Hand held devices like smartphones and tablets have caused a major paradigm shift in the way people access the internet. People all over the globe have all the information at their finger tips, thanks mainly to the revolution in the mobile phone industry. With all the information ‘on the go’ people are making major purchasing decisions while on the move. This trend has enabled advertisers and business owners to reach out to such people and influence their decision making process.

Keeping this in mind Google today launched ‘Google Shopping’ to reach out to customers even as they are shopping. This feature is basically based on the Product Listing Ads that is predominantly used on smartphones and tablets. However, this feature is only available in the United States but sooner rather than later will be available elsewhere.

Customers can now easily find and make comparisons between different products and then take an informed decision. The images shown allow users to make instant visual comparison of the physical features of a product, while the tablet allows them to look for the best possible deal, and then buy a particular product from the retailer of their choice.

Google has launched this feature after carefully studying the activities of smartphone/tablet users. It has been noticed that tablets are generally used by people at home and that too while watching the television. People see the advertisements/commercial on their smart TVs and then use the tablet to get more information. If a person seeks information on the tablet then that person is more likely to buy the same product using the tablet rather than visit a brick and mortar store to buy it. Google further states that almost 34 percent Americans used their smartphones to purchase goods. Globally close to 62 percent people having smartphones use the device to make an online purchase every month.

For online merchants this is good news. They can now set up Product Listing Ads in Adwords after linking to their Merchant Center account. However they need to make sure that their campaigns are aimed at people who have devices that have full browsers.

Google is offering very attractive incentives to merchant sites that will help them drive up their online business.

New and existing merchants that set up Product Listing Ads by 15th of August will get monthly credit of 10 percent of their total Product Listing Ad spend. This credit will be extended to them till the end of the year 2012.

Merchants who use Google Product Search and will for the first time use the Product Listing Ads will get $100 AdWords credit if they enroll via a form before August 15th 2012.

This is one opportunity advertisers and online merchants should not miss!