Google to Rate Sellers on Shipping with New Shopping Experience Scorecard

Google is hopping on the bandwagon, joining marketplaces in holding online sellers to account for shipping cost and speed. Google formally announced today the “Shopping Experience Scorecard” program that it says will help merchants’ products stand out.

Sellers who meet performance standards will receive a “Trusted Store” badge. It’s based on metrics relative to other merchants, “including but not limited to shipping speeds, shipping and return costs, and return windows.”

Google said early testing shows that when it displays a Trusted Store badge for a merchant, they’re more likely to receive clicks.

While Google said it was also seeing stronger traffic to lesser-known merchants, it’s important to note that large retailers and brands are better equipped to receive shipping discounts than small sellers.

The Shopping Experience Scorecard program is only available to sellers who participate in Buy on Google or free listings in the US. By meeting certain criteria, merchants may receive the badge and “Prominence in placements on the Shopping tab,” Google explained.

Google created a page explaining its new Shopping Experience Scorecard program, including instructions on how merchants can view their performance.

Sellers won’t see ratings on their account if they don’t provide the required information, or, if their offers “haven’t received sufficient impressions in the lookback period.”

Google provided the following example:

“Barbara’s Buckles has a blank rating for shipping speed. After a quick check, they realize that they’re providing shipping cost without providing shipping speed. So, they create a shipping service for their products that includes both shipping cost and shipping speed. After the lookback window passes, their rating updates with a new value to reflect their shipping speed, which may boost their visibility and performance on the Shopping tab.”

Google said it will roll out the program in the US in the coming months.

Rusty Brick’s Barry Schwartz discussed the program last month (when it was yet to be officially announced) in the following YouTube video:

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.