Andrew Heinzman
Operating a small business during a global pandemic is, predictably, very difficult. But Google’s newest change to its Shopping platform should help small businesses save some much-needed cash. Starting April 27th, Google will permanently waive all listing fees for businesses on its Shopping platform.
In an interview with The Verge, Google’s president of commerce, Billy Ready, clarified that free listing is not a response to COVID-19. Rather, it’s part of Google Shopping’s effort to bring small businesses to the platform. Google Shopping is baked into Google’s search engine, after all, and should appeal to small businesses that wish to operate through their own website.
Google is also partnering with PayPal to link merchants’ existing accounts to the Shopping platform. In theory, small businesses that use PayPal to manage transactions shouldn’t encounter any friction after setting up a Google Shopping store.
New Google Shopping merchants can apply to place free listings through the Google Merchant Center. Existing merchants can list their inventory for free starting April 27th.
Source: The Verge
