NEWS: The latest in product feeds + ecommerce [Q1 2019]

What’s new this quarter in product data feeds, your favorite channels, and ecommerce in general? Keep reading to learn about the several new advertising formats, targeting tools, and more!

Target to launch their own online marketplace. Target+ will be an online marketplace that enables third-party merchants to sell on Target.com. The marketplace is currently invite only. Target does plan to team up with more brands in the future.
Read more.

Walmart pulls products from Google Express and Google Shopping actions. Walmart continues to be one of Amazon’s strongest ecommerce competitors, and they seem to be pulling away from Google. Nonetheless Walmart claims it is committed to its strategic partnership with Google.

Amazon - Exciting news for CPG

AmazonFresh products are now eligible for Sponsored Products advertising. Some suggest that this step will ultimately bolster Amazon’s positioning against Walmart and others working with groceries and CPG. However, some strategists suggest that this is more of an advertising opportunity for CPG brands rather than a direct sales opportunity.

Bing - New tools and features

Bing Ads’ new page feeds will help users manage URL groupings for auto targets and easier Dynamic Search Ads management. Users no longer need to create targets for each website URL in a campaign; they can instead simply upload a feed (list) of URLs.
Read more from Bing.

Google - New ad formats, features, and Manufacturer Center updates

New ad format: Comparison Listing ads
The new Comparison Listing ad will appear right next to the carousel Shopping ads at the top of Google Search. Users will be able to simply switch over and view the Comparison Listing ads. Users who click the ad will be taken to the product's landing page on the related comparison site.
Get more details here.

New ad format: Shoppable ads We’ve already seen Shoppable posts on channels like Instagram. Now, Google is making some ads “shoppable.” Sponsored ads appearing on Google Images will be able to have “Shoppable” tags, offering price, brand, and more details related to products.
This is currently being tested and will be rolled out to more categories and retailers in the coming months. Get more details here.

Google to handle campaign management for some advertisers. Many Google advertisers have received emails from Google stating: “we’ll focus on your campaigns, so you can focus on your business.” Search Engine Land speculates this relates to Google’s drive to automate campaign processes.
Products can be listed free of charge or campaign. Retailers in the US can now upload product data directly to Google Merchant Center and be eligible for display in results on Google with no payment or campaign required.

Read more here.
Google warning about stricter GTIN enforcement. Sales & Orders reports that Google will be more strict on inaccurate GTINs, specifically those reported as "not related to brand."

Google Manufacturer Center

New analytics tools have been launched to help users better understand product performance on Google. This will show: how products actually appear on the page; insights and trends related to top performing products and variant insights; and product group stats, relating for example, which competing brands and products appear alongside a given product…
Google Shopping product detail pages now include an informational section supplied by the manufacturer. This will give businesses an extra opportunity to highlight product features and capabilities and communicate directly with shoppers.
Read more on Google.

Instagram - in-app checkout capabilities? Yes please!

Instagram is testing in-app checkout capabilities, where users can buy, track, and manage purchases directly within Instagram. No further dates or roll out plans are currently known.
Read more.

LinkedIn - New targeting tools

Now you can use lookalike audiences (much like on Facebook) to find and target new audiences based on existing customers or information. You can also now target users based on their interests shown on LinkedIn or through Bing search. Lastly, you can get started advertising quickly by leveraging audience templates of 20+ predefined B2B groups.
Read more.

Pinterest - New in Ads Manager and features

Pinterest Shopping ads can now be managed straight in Ads Manager. This puts Pinterest’s ad offerings much more on par with Facebook, Google, and other key channels. Plus, using the new Catalogs feature, businesses can now create a complete product catalog on the site, organize feeds by product groups, and generate pins in bulk.
Read more here.