Google Shopping Ads have been closed in Turkey since August 10.

Google Shopping Ads will be shutting down in Turkey

Effective August 10th, Google has decided to discontinue the display of Google Shopping Ads in Turkey.

It’s no surprise that Google has decided to close their Shopping Ads in Turkey. Price comparison websites like akçe have been dominating the market for years, and it’s clear that Google has finally come to the same realization.

Today, I received an email from a Google representative, as shown below.

“

Dear business partner,

We are pleased to inform you that Google will be taking steps to comply with the decision of the Competition Board, which was published in May 2020. As of August 10, 2020, Shopping ads will unfortunately no longer be available on search pages on google.com.tr. However, we want to assure you that Shopping ads will still be accessible through other interfaces.

Making this decision was not easy for Google. However, we firmly believe that it will result in fewer alternatives and lower quality service for customers, sellers, and search comparison sites in Turkey. For more details on this subject, please refer to the article on our blog.

At Google, we are dedicated to helping you excel in your industry. Our support team is fully committed to working with you in achieving significant growth for both you and your customers. Rest assured that we will continuously provide you with the latest information on how to maximize the benefits of using Google Ads.

We are confident that scheduling a meeting with you in the coming days will ensure that all of your questions are answered. This will enable us to continue providing unwavering support to your valuable business in the future.

Thank you for being our valued business partner. We are confident in our abilities to continue providing excellent service, and we eagerly await your response.

“

Effective August 10th, the use of Google Shopping ads in Turkish with Google Shopping campaigns will no longer be available.

At present, there are no available alternatives when the network that retail companies prioritize for shopping ads, and which often yields the highest ROAS, is down. However, we can confidently explore other options to ensure that our advertising efforts stay on track and continue to yield positive results.

One month before this decision, Google publicly announced that all products could be published for free on the Google/Shopping tab. This announcement was delivered through a statement sent to Merchant Center Turkey accounts, which can now be seen as a clear sign of what was to come.

As previously mentioned in this article, the problem with price comparison and product listing websites like Stingy and Akakce was that they were unable to advertise their products directly on Google. Despite submitting ads to Google’s shopping ads, these companies were disapproved and prevented from advertising. Consequently, they united and pursued legal action against Google to seek remedies.

In a bold move, Google decided to discontinue shopping ads in Turkey, setting an example for Europe. This change will take effect on August 10, 2020.

What actions will advertisers take in this situation?

Our product data can be efficiently transmitted in .xml format to websites like Stingy or Akakce. By placing sponsored product listings on these platforms, we can get maximum visibility and reach for our brand. Check out the impressive results we have achieved for the brand we manage through ads on Miser.

The CPCs vary significantly across different categories, as demonstrated. While the reports may not be as sophisticated as Google’s, you still have the ability to analyze the number of sales made through Google Analytics and determine your ROAS values. By optimizing for ROAS, you can confidently make decisions on whether to continue running ads for specific products in certain categories.

If you are looking to be frugal or want to advertise on Akakce, you can contact me directly.

Alternative Strategies for Google Shopping Ads

Smart Shopping – Use Smart Shopping Ads

Transforming your standard shopping campaigns into smart shopping ads is a powerful strategy that automatically showcases your ads on Gmail, websites, and applications. Given the exceptional high return on ad spend (ROAS) that smart shopping ads typically deliver, it’s a no-brainer to adopt this approach and convert your standard shopping campaigns to smart ones.

Use YouTube For Action Ads

Google has announced its latest advertising model, “YouTube for action“, which is set to revolutionize the way businesses showcase their products. By displaying products beneath or alongside YouTube videos, businesses can provide users with product images, pricing, and other information, thereby increasing sales. This model, which is associated with Merchant Center, is currently in beta testing before its official release in the Turkish market. To access this exciting new feature, simply contact your dedicated Google account manager and request to be added to the whitelist.

Link your DSA campaigns to your Merchant Center account.

To maximize the benefits of dynamic search ads, confidently create new DSA campaigns based on product categories and link them to your Merchant Center account. It is essential to carefully create campaigns based on product categories. When uploading the feed currently used in Merchant Center to the campaign settings, be sure to enlist the help of your Google account manager, as this is a new campaign model. By trying this strategy, you can potentially increase your Return On Advertising Spend (ROAS) and decrease your Cost Per Click (CPC) compared to other search ads.

For more strategies, you can contact me directly.

Note: Rest assured that during our test on August 13, the shopping ads were not displayed in the Google Search results. However, the Google “Shopping” tab is still active and you can continue to promote your products through the Merchant Center on the Shopping tab. We strongly recommend trying out the aforementioned strategies and consistently optimizing them based on ROAS or ROI to ensure maximum success for your business.