Google Manufacturer Center, which was launched in 2015 was designed specifically for brands and original manufacturers to provide details about their products. From the Manufacturer Center, an API was launched and began featuring data in product panels in 2017. On Monday, Google announced additional features and availability in more countries.
Product makers will now have the ability to provide more information about their products to appear in a new “From the manufacturer” section on product detail pages in Google Shopping. Rich product information can include images, YouTube videos and more. An example of this from Google-owned Nest is shown below.
If you have a Manufacturer Center account, you’ll be able to provide rich content via the feature_description attribute. Content that has been approved will appear in the new section in a simple layout. According to Google, a new attribute will become available in the coming months which will support more visually rich layouts from within Manufacturer Center.
There is another option that lets you partner with a product content management company. Webcollage, the initial launch partner, has had clients testing the new capability.
There is a number of new metrics and insights that are available in Manufacturer Center, including top search terms, top MSRP gaps, top price changes, as well as top and trending product groups.
This lets you see which competing brands and products show with yours most often and also analyze performance and price trends.
The company announced that Manufacturer Center is now available in 24 countries (complete list here), up from just seven. Manufacturer Center allows brands to gain more control over how their products are represented across Google Shopping and in product panels, regardless of which retailer partner is promoting the products.