Google Manufacturer Center – Why it matters and how it works

Although Google Manufacturer Center was introduced to the US market in 2015, it was not until 2017 that it expanded to include a wider geographical market. Now, brand owners in several countries around the world can access a variety of benefits that come with the free tool.
Want the complete introduction to Google Manufacturer Center in a visual and easy-to-digest format? Check out our complete guide.

Online shoppers need correct and complete product information

Since retailers are not brand owners, they often have less detailed product information at hand. Unfortunately, this can result in their product descriptions proving either incomplete or inaccurate. Poor product information comes with an array of negative side effects, all of which will ultimately fall onto the shoulders of the brand manufacturer.
Pretty intimidating, right? That’s what Google thought as well, which is why they came up with the solution that is, Google Manufacturer Center.

What is Google Manufacturer Center?

Google Manufacturer Center is a tool that helps brand manufacturers make sure their products are listed accurately on Google Shopping, Search and other Google Services.
By supplying a complete list of their products, including detailed information like product ID, brand, title and GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers), manufacturers will essentially help Manufacturer Center become a repository for accurate and reliable product data.
So, when someone searches for your specific product on Google, it is your organic, authoritative product description that gets displayed.

The Google Manufacturer Center feed

The product data feed required to get on Manufacturer Center is rather simple and similar to those you might need in order to list on any other channel (with a few twists). There are a few new attributes, like suggested retail price, that will make the manufacturer’s options unique.
For those who have never used product feeds, this is simply a collection of data points that describe a business’s product offering. This could be data from your PIM modified to fit the export channel (Google’s) requirements.

Finally, there are numerous variant options. From size to flavor to scent, manufacturers are able to transform their products into highly specific data points.

All marketers need analytics—manufacturers included

On top of providing better customer experiences, the Manufacturer Center provides another key tool: sale analytics.
Now more than ever, businesses of all kinds are trying to get in direct contact with the customer. Manufacturers are shifting to take on a more active role in the buying process. The ability to see how users are interacting with products online, what’s selling and what’s not, are valuable data for any manufacturer.
Currently, the Manufacturer Center provides data on the total number of clicks and impressions from all retailers selling the given manufacturer’s product through Google Shopping. (More on Google Shopping in a moment). This means brands can see the actual CTRs related to their specific products, down to the GTIN level. Google is also providing category benchmarks and pricing insights, making that data even more meaningful.
In short, Manufacturer Center is also a great way for brands and manufacturers to understand the strength of their product listings and ads. This will become increasingly important in the future, as businesses of every kind try to reach more directly to the consumer.

Google Manufacturer Center vs. Google Merchant Center

Though the names are almost identical, these two platforms are used for completely different purposes. For example, a retailer wants to create and run ads to appear in Google search. This use case will require Google Shopping ads, leveraging data from the Google Merchant Center. This is very different from the Manufacture Center use cases described previously, wherein a manufacturer or brand wants to optimize and influence organic product listings in order to drive better customer experiences and more sales.

Success story: Johnson & Johnson increases clicks

Johnson & Johnson is driving clicks and sales just by uploading accurate, descriptive data to Google Manufacturer Center. The addition of rich product data led to better customer experiences, where shoppers were able to get all the information they would need to make a purchase. In the end, Johnson & Johnson found their results crushed industry benchmarks.

• __22% increase in impressions__: Their new practices led to a much higher number of shoppers discovering the Johnson & Johnson brand just via search.
• __27% increase in clicks:__ Better data led to more clickable ads, driving the number of potential customers way up.

Success story: Safavieh gets better-qualified clicks

“We can’t say enough about how being part of Google Manufacturer Center is helping to drive more traffic to our website, our retail partners’ websites, and ultimately greater sales for our products,” said Arash Yaraghi, CEO at Safavieh.

The shortcomings of your product listings may not always be obvious. This was the case for the international furnishings company, Safavieh. In the past, they had always relied on retail partners to submit their product data to Google. This proved functional, certainly. But it was far from optimal. Safavieh lacked the control to manage and enhance their product data, and their products were often displayed without the most up-to-date information. As a result, Safavieh was missing the opportunity to create great customer experiences.
Google Manufacturer Center allowed them to take that power back and create ideal experiences. The results? The numbers speak for themselves. Compared to category benchmarks, Safavieh saw a:

• __46% increase in impressions__
• __35% increase in clicks.__ Plus, users were reported to spend even more time on the retailer’s site.

Just by adding valuable product data, both Johnson & Johnson and Safavieh were able to craft better experiences and—as a result—better returns.

Do you qualify?

• Are you a manufacturer, brand owner, or retailer of your own brand's products?
• Are your products being sold in participating countries? (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, United States)
• Are you distributing to multiple retailers?
• Do all of your products have GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers)?

If you answered yes to all of the above, Google Manufacturer Center is an opportunity that you cannot miss out on!

Get started with Google Manufacturer Center!

Google Manufacturer Center is a free tool that provides you with the opportunity to standardize your brand’s online identity and increase overall product visibility on Google.

Read our white paper to learn everything you need to know, including:

• the benefits of GMfC for your brand 
• key setup steps for optimized usage 
• how to prepare your product content
• common errors and how to avoid them