Google has introduced a range of new features designed to foster connections between shoppers and small, local businesses, reinforcing its commitment to supporting smaller merchants on its platforms.
In a recent blog post, Google outlined upcoming enhancements to Search, Maps and Merchant Center, all of which are geared towards elevating the visibility of small businesses. These features encompass AI-powered product image generation, improved business information panels and the introduction of labels identifying small business listings. A significant addition to these features is the introduction of a “small business” label for eligible companies on Search and Maps listings. This label’s primary purpose is to simplify the process of locating and patronizing small businesses during the holiday shopping season. Businesses that qualify as small enterprises can clearly identify themselves as such within Google’s Merchant Center and Business Profile platforms. Google will also automatically apply the “small business” label based on specific criteria such as the number of products available and web traffic. Furthermore, Google is expanding access to its AI-powered Product Studio tool to all U.S. Merchant Center Next users and Shopify merchants using the Google & YouTube app. This tool leverages a text-to-image AI model to seamlessly integrate products into any conceptual scenario described by the merchant. Merchants have the flexibility to adjust and reuse effective prompts for consistent generation of on-brand, creative images. Additional features include background removal and a one-click image resolution enhancement tool.
