Ecommerce News Briefs: 9-22-11: Google Product Search, Social Network Changes, Holiday Shopping

Welcome to this week’s ecommerce news briefs. Today, we’ll update you on Google’s Product Search changes, which go into effect today, take a look at how Facebook’s new format changes and features and the Google + open enrollment coincide, and examine some early holiday season 2011 shopping predictions.

Google Product Search Changes Impact Ecommerce Merchants

Today, September 22, 2011, Google officially enacted the changes to its Product Search feed that were announced in July.  What does this mean for ecommerce merchants?

According to EcommerceBytes, Google Senior Product Manager Mayuresh Saoji says that accounts that fail to meet the new requirements may have product removed from their feeds by Google or face suspension beginning today.

As we reported previously, the new requirements generally center around creating a more informed, up-to-date experience for online shoppers, which means that merchants must provide the following for each product listed in their Product Feed:

• Unique product identifiers (size, color, category, etc.)
• Tax and shipping identifiers
• Out of stock notifications

Go here to learn more, and if you’ve submitted products to Google’s Product Search feed, take a few minutes to make sure that your account meets all of the new requirements. If you’re not sure, you can run a Test Data Feed to check.

Facebook And Google Unveil Major Social Networks Update

Earlier today, during Facebook’s F8 Conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg announced some of the social network’s new features and platform format changes. The latter changes, released yesterday, have generated some negative reactions from Facebook users so far.

In what some feel is a timed announcement, Google also ended the beta test period of its social network, Google+ and allowed anyone to join. Previously, users could only join on a limited basis or via invites from another user. 

The fledgling social network, which has received criticism for its previous exclusive enrollment policies and real name policy, will likely see a significant growth in the number of members in the coming weeks, as people who have been waiting to join Google + rush to sign up.

As of press time, business Google + profiles are still not available, but are expected soon.

Early Holiday Shopping Predictions Point To Increase In Mobile, Decrease In Brick-And-Mortar Commerce

According to Mobile Commerce Daily, 44% of searches for holiday gift items will take place on mobile phones this Holiday season.

This statistic comes on the heels of a prediction yesterday by the Wall Street Journal that national retail sales in traditional brick-and-mortar stores will rise only 3% during the months of November and December, a decrease from the 4.1% during last year’s holiday seasons.

Rising gas prices, tight budgets, and economic turmoil are some of the reasons stated for the projected low increase.

While it may be too early to say for sure, these finding appear to point to a profitable season for ecommerce retailers, particularly if they have a mobile site that is properly optimized.