Could Comparison Shopping Services Help Your Business?

update as of 1 January 2019

Google recently announced online that they are no longer offering a rebate on spend put through Comparison Shopping Services (CSS). The rebate reduced to 5% of CSS spend between the 1 November – 31 December 2018 but as of the 1 January there will be 0% rebate. The CPC benefits are still set to continue and stopping CSS could result in your Shopping CPC’s increasing.

For more information on the CSS incentive program please visit the official Google site here or contact us.

ORIGINAL BLOG - 9 AUGUST 2018

Picked up on the buzz around Google CSS? Unsure of what to do next? Discover how Google CSS could help your business.

Could Comparison Shopping Services help your business?

Due to favouring their own shopping comparison service over any of their competitors’, Google were fined €2.4bn by the European Commission. Since this occurred last year, Google has since introduced “Comparison Shopping Services”.

But what is Google CSS, and how can you deploy it into your business?

What is Google CSS?

Since incurring the fine from the European Commission, Google has been under pressure to encourage as many retailers as possible to start using CSS. Simply put, Google Comparison Shopping Services is an anti-competitive move brought in for legal reasons, allowing retailers to use alternative adverts on Google Shopping at a discounted rate.

Google are offering discounts to CSS partners and their clients. Not only could you save up to 20% on your cost per clicks (CPCs), but also a further rebate of up to 30% on your Google Shopping media spend, which is capped at €32,000 each month.

Google CSS providers then charge retailers an amount each month, enabling them to access their platform.

Recommended CSS providers

There are numerous providers available. We have been researching and assessing different Comparison Shopping Service providers, and have made our own recommendations should you enquire about this service with us. If you select our recommended Google CSS provider for your business, we will cover the cost of the first month for you. After that, we have a negotiated fixed monthly cost as a benefit of implementing this service through us.

Find out more about this service >>

The set up process

It takes us 24 hours to set up your Google CSS account, providing we have access to all the information we need to set up a new Google Merchant Centre or alternatively, it will be a 2-3 day set up if you decide to retain your existing Merchant Centre.

Your Comparison Shopping Service should have more visibility than the exact same spend on Google Shopping. We will cover your first month’s Google CSS fee if you like, but you can also switch back to Google Shopping if you feel this is better suited to your needs.

What happens next?

We are a Google Premier Partner with access to Certified CSS partners. If you’d like to take advantage of Google’s limited time only discounts with Comparison Shopping Services, get a free trial today.

Get your free trial >>