google base

Google has introduced a new feature for tax and shipping estimation on Google Product Search. Google Base users can now submit their tax and shipping information for their products through their Google Base accounts.

Though Google has mentioned that it is yet to make the information live to shoppers, it has requested sellers to start submitting their tax and shipping details. These details can be submitted in two ways.

1. By setting default values directly in Google Base account under the new “Tax and Shipping settings” tab in the “Settings” section
2. Tax and shipping information can also be submitted by including the values under tax and shipping attributes in the product data feeds. Any inclusion in data feeds will automatically override default account values.

This is yet another important feature Google Product Search shoppers were looking for. More accurate prices can help shoppers know upfront the total cost involved.

Google has added a new “Data Quality” tab to the Google Base account. This new tab can provide you various recommendations enabling more shoppers find your products.

In its official Google Base blog, Jessica Ng, Product Marketing Manager for Google Base mentions, “We’ve always emphasized the importance of submitting high-quality product feeds to Google Product Search. This means submitting accurate, up-to-date product information in the form of attributes, as well as abiding by best practices for formatting these attributes. Doing so goes a long way toward helping shoppers find your items more easily.”

Adding up to the importance of submitting high-quality product feeds, she further added, Today, we’re pleased to announce the addition of a new “Data Quality” tab in your Google Base account. On this tab, you’ll find a host of suggestions for improving the quality of the item listings in your product feed. For example, you can find recommendations on the length of your title and description fields, or get a snapshot of the number of items in your feed that are missing key attributes. By addressing these issues, you’ll be able to improve the quality of your feeds and help more shoppers find your products.”

Google Base Data Quality tab is a welcome initiative as most of online sellers have very little or no awareness on the importance of submitting accurate and up-to-date information. The new tab would be of great help for these sellers.