Google is set to retire its classic Merchant Center platform by September, replacing it with the new Merchant Center Next. This upgrade will be mandatory for all retailers using Google’s platform for product listings.
Key changes and features
Merchant Center Next introduces several significant updates aimed at enhancing the user experience:
Product Studio: This is a new AI-powered content creation tool. However, it’s available only to merchants in select countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and Japan. This tool is expected to simplify the content creation, allowing you to generate product descriptions and images more efficiently.
Consolidated Analytics: Google is introducing a new analytics tab that brings together various data tools. These include pricing reports and competitive visibility metrics, offering a more streamlined way to analyse product performance and market position.
Redesigned Interface: The interface has been overhauled to be more intuitive. This includes features like pre-populated product information, which saves time when entering data, and customisable homepages that let you tailor the platform to better suit your needs.
Unified Product Management: The new platform allows you to manage both online and local product listings from a single location. This is particularly useful if you operate both online and physical stores, as it simplifies inventory management.
Built-in Ad Creation: Merchant Center Next allows you to create basic automated ad campaigns directly within the platform, making it easier to advertise your products without navigating to another service.
Transition challenges
Switching to Merchant Center Next isn’t without its challenges. The new platform introduces several changes that may require you to adjust your current processes:
Automatic Product Data Addition: One significant change is that Merchant Center Next will automatically add product data crawled from your website. While this can save time, you must ensure your site is up-to-date with accurate product information.
Centralised International Sales Management: The new platform includes a centralised system for managing international sales configurations. This can simplify global selling but may require some initial setup to align with your business needs.
Combined Online and Local Inventory Management: For businesses with both online and physical stores, the platform now combines the management of online and local inventory. This unified approach can improve efficiency but may also require adjusting how you currently manage inventory.
Centralised Recommendations Hub: Recommendations are now consolidated into a central hub on the homepage. This change aims to make it easier to see all your optimisation opportunities in one place, though it may take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to the classic layout.
Updated Diagnostics: Merchant Center Next introduces a new approach to diagnostics, which Google claims will prioritise issues more clearly. However, you may need to familiarise yourself with the new system to address problems effectively.
Advanced Features: Although advanced features like supplemental feeds and feed rules will remain available, their implementation in the new interface might differ. Reviewing how these features work in Merchant Center Next is important to ensure a smooth transition.
What does this mean?
The mandatory upgrade to Merchant Center Next will affect all retailers using Google’s platform for product listings. Google has assured users that these changes are designed to improve functionality, but the transition might be challenging for those accustomed to the classic interface.
Google has also stated that any features you currently use will be automatically activated in Merchant Center Next. To help with the transition, the company is providing resources such as guides and FAQs.
As the September deadline approaches, it’s advisable to start preparing for these changes now. By familiarising yourself with the new platform, you can ensure a smoother transition and fully take advantage of Merchant Center Next’s new features and tools.
