Google announced that its Google Trusted Stores program is now open to all merchants in the U.S. The program has been in pilot testing since last fall, with 50 online merchants and 10 million orders.
This will likely be a key part of the forthcoming Google Shopping results.
“Over the last nine months of the pilot, our tests show that participating in this program can help merchants big and small,” says Tom Fallows, Group Product Manager, Google Shopping. “For example, Wayfair, the largest online-only retailer of home goods and one of the top 50 largest online retailers as ranked by Internet Retailer, increased sales on its site by 2.3 percent with Google Trusted Stores. And Beau-coup, a specialty online favors and gifts retailer, saw an 8.6 percent increase*. Take a look at our merchant success stories to learn more about how Google Trusted Stores has had a positive impact on website conversion rates and average order sizes for online retailers.”
“This badge is only awarded to online stores that deliver a great overall experience, so even if you haven’t shopped with this merchant before, you can easily tell if they are trustworthy, ship quickly and reliably, and offer exceptional customer service. If there’s a problem with your purchase, we’re here to help,” says Fallows. “When you buy from a Google Trusted Store, you can opt in to get up to $1,000 lifetime purchase protection per shopper. And our dedicated customer service team is there to work with you and the merchant to assist in resolving the issue.”
Google Trusted Stores is a free program. You can apply here if you’re interested.
Earlier this week, Google acquired Kikscore, which is seen as a way for Google to further enhance Trusted Stores. In fact, Kikscore wrote a blog post about the ways the two services could complement one another, even before the acquisition.
