Google to Allow Merchants to Sell Products for Free as Coronavirus Makes Selling Harder for Businesses

Google President of Commerce Bill Ready revealed that the company is allowing merchants to sell their products on the platform for free starting next week. This occurs as small businesses across the country shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“And as consumers increasingly shop online, they're searching not just for essentials but also things like toys, apparel, and home goods. While this presents an opportunity for struggling businesses to reconnect with consumers, many cannot afford to do so at scale,” wrote Ready.

“In light of these challenges, we’re advancing our plans to make it free for merchants to sell on Google,” he explained.

“Beginning next week, search results on the Google Shopping tab will consist primarily of free listings, helping merchants better connect with consumers, regardless of whether they advertise on Google.”

Ready explained the benefits for retailers, shoppers, and advertisers. This is an advantage for retailers. Why? It means “free exposure to millions of people who come to Google every day for their shopping needs,” Ready said. Meanwhile, this means “more products from more stores, discoverable through the Google Shopping tab,” for shoppers. For advertisers, it means “paid campaigns can now be augmented with free listings.”

They aim to expand this globally before the year ends.

Ready also mentioned Google’s new partnership with PayPal to allow merchants to link their accounts.

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