Amazing tools for small and medium-sized enterprises in Google Merchant Center Next.

Google is now using artificial intelligence in increasingly many aspects of its products. The latest updates to Google Merchant Center Next, formerly known as Google Merchant Center (GMC), have a clear focus on AI-driven reports and integration of tools such as "Google Product Studio" to improve user experience.

If you haven't got it with you yet, we're facing some very creative and exciting changes in Google Shopping, also driven by AI algorithms. The updates include, among other things, a “virtual testing function,” video functionality and AI generated product descriptions based on keywords, making the trading experience more personal and adapted for users. In the United States and some other countries, these new shopping functions have already been launched.

Are you a small or medium-sized company in e-commerce with limited resources to manage the creative side of marketing? Then this article can be of great use. Google has launched Google Product Studio – a tool to edit images and create image-based AI videos that enhance the experience of shopping advertising.

You will find "Product Studio" under "Product page" in the section "Your business" in GMC Next, just next to "Automated improvements".

Let's take a look at the requirements in order to use this toolbox in GMC Next:

Currently, this is a beta product (experimental) in Norway and is only available in the new GMC Next accounts or via the Google & YouTube app in Shopify. If you have not seen this feature in your GMC account yet, but want access to the toolbox, you must contact your Google Account Agent to get help to activate it.

How can you benefit from using Product Studio?

• A competitive advantage: With a free Photoshop-like toolbox, small and medium-sized enterprises can get a head start on competitors by editing high-quality images. All that is required is a little imagination! This makes it easier to achieve better results quickly and efficiently.
• Increases traffic on website: This free image toolbox allows SMEs to experiment with different image formats to increase exposure. The result? Increased traffic to the website and greater interest from potential customers.
• Ready to sell: Product Studio is ideal for seasonal and holiday sales, image creation and video production. As long as you have a vision, you can easily edit your product images and prepare them for sale.
• Simple solution for input errors: Products are often rejected due to low resolution or poor image quality. With Product Studio you can solve these problems without needing a paid Photoshop program. You don't have to have saved images either, as the tool uses the images directly from the feet.
• Ask the history of Product Studio: An additional advantage is that you can see historical changes in Product Studio, so you can easily find descriptions and instructions. This makes it easier to follow up specific projects and cooperate across teams.

Let's explore Product Studio:

Edit Images

Generate scene

This tool has several useful sub-sections, such as the General Scene, which are designed to create images with real and natural backgrounds. This makes it easier to add lifestyle elements and realistic surroundings to your images, so that your products are highlighted in a suitable setting.

When you enter the General Scene section, you will be asked to select pictures from the appropriate foot in GMC, upload them, or retrieve them from another location. Then you can write a description or give instructions on how to adjust the background depending on the type of product. For example, if you sell a serviday, you can add a background with a beautifully covered dinner table, a picnic table in the garden on a sunshine day, or other suitable environments that highlight the servitory in an inspiring way.

In addition, you will find inspiring theme-based backgrounds in Product Studio, with seasonal, holiday and celebration themes like Halloween, New Year's, Black Week and more. To customize these themes to the unique style of the brands, it may be advisable to adjust the colors, sizes and objects of the scene before you apply them.

You also have the possibility to "magnify" or "zoom" the product in the picture so that it fits perfectly into the chosen scene, which gives an even more professional and visually appealing presentation.

Edit background:

The next section is "Edit Background", where you can remove the background of the product image. You will be able to download the changes or undo them if you want to go back to the original. These images can then be combined with other custom backgrounds you create, which makes it easy to customize the images to any theme and scene that fits the profile of the brand.

Increase resolution

Resolution is a crucial factor in improving image quality, and now you can easily increase the resolution of your images with just a few clicks in GMC feed. You will be able to clearly compare the image quality with the pre- and post-effects of the resolution increase. The changes can be downloaded and undone as needed, so you have full control over the result.

Generate videos

Google Merchant Center has now received a new one video attribute which allows you to add videos directly to your feed. With the AI-driven tool in Product Studio, you can create and edit these videos by simply adding images from the feed. You can choose a theme from the predefined templates, as well as add additional images, text and logos in line with the template. If you have already adapted the tag settings in your GMC account, such as colours and logos, the videos will automatically be adapted to keep a consistent expression.

To get the best possible result, you can also add a pre-filled sound to the video. To make videos more informative and engaging, it is recommended to use high-quality images, highlight product attributes, promote a sales event, or convey brand values and invitations in the text field.

When you have finished editing, you can generate the video and choose between two resolution options: high resolution (1280x720) or low resolution (462x260). The low resolution video is ideal for internal sharing in the team, while high resolution video is perfect for public use, such as commercial films and promotions.

Best practices, tips and tricks

• Use one main product image:

Instead of showing more products or whole collections, you should focus on one main product picture. The most effective way to do this is to have the product in the foreground of the image.

• Tips on instructions or descriptions:

When you write effective instructions for AI, there are some basic formats that can help you. First, you should specify the style of the picture, such as whether it is an illustration, product photography or macrophotography. Secondly, you have to specify the type of product you want to include in the desired background or stage, like a bottle of shampoo or a tube toothpaste. Thirdly, it is important to specify the location of the product, for example whether it is to be placed on a marble table or lying on the grass. Then you should describe the details of the scene, such as the type of table, which trees are visible, and the colors of these objects. Finally, add an appropriate background, like a sunny day in the park or a beautiful living room with a dining table.

• Place the product in the middle:

As a best practice, place the product in the middle of the image, and size should be smaller instead of zoomed in. You can also choose to leave the rest of the background a white canvas or a simple screen.

• Avoid using people and props:

It is best to avoid including people, human hands or other props in the pictures.

• A number of channels:

This tool can be used not only to create shopping ads, but also to create images and videos for other channels, such as Facebook and social media. It is perfect for adjusting the resolution of the images and creating visual elements with a uniform theme in a fast and easy way.

• Contextual product images:

To make your experience more user-friendly and personal, Google always focuses on showing products in real, related environments. This gives users a realistic impression of the size, functions and uses of the product. This tool can streamline the production of images and help you tell the story about the product.

• Contiguous Brand:

You can add the tags colors and logo to the Merchant Center before you start using this tool. This makes it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to maintain a consistent brand profile across all visual creations. It helps you maintain the integrity of brands, not only in Google Ads, but also in other channels without the need for extra resources.

• Experiments with different looks:

It is easy to change the background by typing instructions into the tool. The results will vary every time, giving you more options. This makes it easier to use A/B-test different styles in Google Shopping without having to upload and import images. Experiments also with effects like shadows and light settings.

Language support and quality assurance

The product currently supports descriptions in a limited number of languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Google has a dedicated team of quality reviewers who review the input and generated output to help improve the overall experience with the tool. You can also check the privacy and confidentiality of Google Merchant Centre support, even if they only want to share basic information about the original image, the new pictures or videos, as well as user instructions.

Administer personalised results

To manage the personalized results, select the "Shopping Preferences" option in the Google Shopping menu at the bottom of the page.

Summary

The conclusion is that Google has launched a very useful tool for shopping ads that can be used to quickly create even more relevant content for users. Not only is this a free resource, but it also saves a lot of time on the production of high quality images and videos. Are you ready to step up one step and adjust your strategy to lie one step ahead of competitors?