October is just about over and with it we got a number of interesting developments in the ecommerce world. It’s easy to miss some — if not most or all — of these if you’re not looking out for them.
No worries though, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s everything important you may have missed this past month.
Free listings on Google Shopping go global
Earlier this year, Google rocked the ecommerce world by introducing free listings to Google Shopping. This was initially limited to the US, but a global release was promised by the end of the year. This month, Google announced that they'd be expanding the program to countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America by mid-October.
Bing officially rebrands as ‘Microsoft Bing’
Last year we saw Bing Ads transition to Microsoft Advertising. This month we saw Microsoft push that naming convention a bit further by officially rebranding Bing to Microsoft Bing. Complete with new logo and visual elements.
Customizable Amazon Sponsored Display ads went live globally
Just before Prime Day, Amazon rolled out a new feature that lets eligible advertisers add their brand logo and customized headline in Sponsored Display ads.
Google is reportedly turning YouTube into a major shopping site
We heard murmurs of this when Google expanded Shopping Actions, but they seem to be taking the concept to a new level. A Bloomberg report indicates that Google plans to transform YouTube into a shopping site. No Bloomberg subscription? Check out this Search Engine Journal post.
Google unveils revamped Google Analytics
Google rolled out a massive overhaul of Google Analytics. The revamp features new machine learning capabilities, unified app and web reporting, native integrations and privacy updates. The redesign aims to provide a modern holistic approach to the analytics of the future. As they put it to “give you the essential insights you need to be ready for what’s next.”
New Google carrier-calculated shipping speed pilot program
Some merchants are being notified by Google Merchant Center that they are eligible for a new pilot program regarding carrier-calculated shipping speed. The pilot aims to ask a bit less of merchants while providing more accurate delivery estimates to customers.
Pinterest launches new features for shopping campaigns
Pinterest launched new tools for merchants to curate, feature and measure their products to drive inspiration and sales. The update includes merchant storefront profile & discovery, automatic bidding for shopping campaigns, new product tagging, catalogs updates, and conversion analysis.
