Google’s DoubleClick Search Ramps Focus On PLAs And Ecommerce With New Commerce Suite

In a sign of where its focus lies and the growing importance of PLAs in the search ecosystem, today Google is introducing the DoubleClick Search Commerce Suite, what it calls “a smarter, faster, product-centric layer to search management”.

The Commerce Suite is comprised of two new capabilities:

1. Dynamic Product Listing Ads creation is an extension of inventory-aware campaigns, which launched in June of last year, as an update of its inventory management solution. Advertisers can automatically create ad group, keywords and ads based on their Google Merchant Center feeds. Dynamic Product Listing Ads bring real-time capabilities to campaign management.

�The ability to auto-generate PLA campaigns from existing product inventory drastically simplifies our setup process,� said Carissa McStay, Associate Manager at The Search Agency, in the announcement.

2. Product Listing Ads optimization, which is still in beta, allows advertisers to optimize campaigns from additional sources including formula columns in feeds, external data such as call metrics, and Google Analytics goals.

“Real-time is the future of retail, and DoubleClick is leading the way with the ability to optimize from real-time conversion information,� said Jeremy Hull, Director of Bought Media at iProspect, in the announcement.

This functionality is already available for text ad management. PLA advertisers will now be able to automate bid adjustments based on real-time data.

Success Of PLAs Drives New Focus For DoubleClick Search

As PLAs become a bigger focus and revenue driver for retailers, Google’s DoubleClick Search team is taking clear steps to position itself as a leader in product search management and leverage its unique power of native product integrations with Google Merchant Center and Google Analytics.

Despite its Google pedigree, DoubleClick Search has faced strong competition from the likes of Kenshoo, IgnitionOne, Marin, Adobe and others. Just two years ago, research firm Forrester bluntly declared, “the platform is not competitive.” The debut of Product Listing Ads in 2012 ushered in a new set of competitors in the product management field including Adchemy, Adlucent, Datapop and CSE management services such as Mercent, and CPC Strategy.

In a clear sign of where Google plans to position DoubleClick Search, the company says, “This product-centric focus will continue to guide our feature development, helping us quickly innovate additional tools that will drive revenue for the e-commerce business.”