How Google Shopping Works and How to Set It Up Easily

As an eCommerce fashion brand owner, you know the power of online shopping in 2025 — but maximizing exposure and connecting effectively to your target may not be as obvious.

Last year, Statista reported that the global fashion eCommerce market is expected to exceed $1.6 trillion in sales by 2030. Currently, around one-fifth of all fashion purchases are happening online.

This demonstrates a major shift in consumer behavior in the last decades, and technology is evolving dramatically to meet these new desires while anticipating new demands at the same time. There’s no better example of this than Google Shopping.

Google Shopping is a relatively new development in the scope of the massive search engine, which continues to grow beyond its initial use of answering random questions. Today, consumers turn to Google to help them find clothes, footwear, and accessories that meet their tastes and needs.

When shoppers scroll through Google Shopping, they feel like they’re enjoying a curated eCommerce experience. In reality, they are receiving the customized offerings you have created within a product feed to drive more sales.

Google Shopping is a mix of Google Ads and Google Merchant Center, and there are steps you can take to integrate both into your business strategy. What’s more, you can also add the power of artificial intelligence to make the shopping experience even more rewarding for the consumers who find your brand through this powerful eCommerce platform.

What Is Google Shopping?

Google Shopping is a free eCommerce platform that offers consumers access to a curated list of products from brands that have been accepted into the Google Merchant Center. Shoppers can compare products and prices from different online vendors, thanks to a user-friendly image display with links to the retail sites.

This use isn’t necessarily anything new for Google. Their shopping function was launched back in 2002 when it worked as a simple index of product data organized by search terms.

Now, it’s part marketplace and part advertising platform, as brands can buy pay-per-click advertisements. These traditional Google Ads are offered within the search results in the Google Shopping feed. So, while brands won’t pay to have their products show up as a result of specific searches, they will be charged if a shopper clicks on the ad instead.

Latest Release in Google Shopping - AI Clothes Try On in Near Future

In 2025, Google Shopping announced a major technological development that will dramatically enhance the shopping experience. Using the power of AI, consumers can now virtually try on clothes, footwear, and accessories using their own photos.

To do this, consumers upload a full-length photo of themselves wearing tight-fitting clothing. With a click of the “Try It On” icon on product listings, they will see how the item will look on them. They can save the photo or share it with their friends with another quick click.

For brands that have yet to adopt the power of AI in their eCommerce strategies, this is a big step. With Perfect Corp.’s AI Clothes Try On technology, this interactive shopping experience can be a part of every consumer purchase. Add in the WANNA Fashion’s Virtual Bag Try-On and AR Shoes Try-On, and your brand is sure to stand out amongst the competition.

How to Set Up Google Shopping in a Few Easy Steps

Here are the quick steps to set your brand up in Google Shopping.

1. Connect with Gmail: Use your Google account to navigate to the Google Merchant Center sign-in page. You can only use one Google account for one Google Merchant Center account, so you’ll need to create a new Gmail account if you have more than one brand.
2. Answer the questions: You’ll need to share information about your brand, including your store name, hours, and services. Be sure this information mirrors your Google Maps listing, if you have one. You’ll also need to create checkout options, so consumers know how to purchase your products.
3. Add your products: Google can pull products directly from your online store, or you can upload the product data manually. You’ll be guided to link any integrations, such as Shopify, to your Merchant Center account.

That’s it! It’s a free service. Depending on how you set it up, you may need to manage the products to keep your inventory current. Otherwise, the platform can serve as a driver to your website to help increase sales.

The Benefits of Google Shopping for Business Owners

While the set-up process is relatively straightforward, it’s still a task to add to your ever-growing to-do list. So, let’s look at the benefits of mastering Google Shopping.

Positioning your brand as trustworthy

Small- and medium-sized fashion brands automatically gain authority when they’re seen in a marketplace alongside bigger, global brands. Not every business will qualify for a place in the Google Merchant Center, so your products will enjoy the company of high-quality competitors.

User-friendly design

Your target audience (like everyone else in the modern world) is used to searching for what they want on Google. It helps that Google Shopping is also a well-designed tool with product photos, descriptions, and fast links to what they want.

Qualified leads

Consumers who search on Google Shopping are ready to buy. They’re in a more advanced stage of the sales funnel, meaning they’re past the initial research phase. They’re buying soon — and it could be your brand if you’re in the Google Shopping marketplace.

Omnichannel selling opportunity

Perhaps the best thing about Google Shopping is that it meets your target audience where they already are. Hundreds of millions of people use Google every day, meaning your reach for future, loyal customers can only expand with this opportunity.

Many brands are already on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, but not every brand is using Google Shopping as a selling channel. This means you can stand apart from other brands offering similar products.

Should You Invest in Google Shopping Ads?

Google Shopping Ads involve a different process from the traditional text ads you may already be using as part of your digital marketing strategy. With the latter, you pick the keywords for your campaigns. With the shopping ads, Google’s algorithm determines which of your product listings get shown, when, and where.

If you choose to invest in Google Shopping Ads, start by refining your product data, images, and prices. Think of this like SEO — make sure your site is optimized first.

Then, use the Google Shopping metrics to pull out data related to your key performance indicators. Close monitoring of the campaign will help you determine if this strategy is right for your company.

Using AI to Enhance the Google Shopping Experience

While Google Shopping has a built-in AI Mode, forward-focused fashion brands will encourage shoppers to continue the interactive experience with AI integrated into every eCommerce purchase point. This is where Perfect Corp.’s AI Clothes Try-On technology makes the most sense.

Consumers can use this generative AI option to try on tops, bottoms, or complete outfits using their own photos. It’s a personalized service that makes shopping fun while also reducing the likelihood of returns.

For brands focused on handbags and footwear, the WANNA Fashion technology makes virtual try-ons equally exciting. There is no need for extra apps or 3D rendering technology. It’s easily integrated to provide a true-to-life experience for the consumer.

This AI technology for clothes, bags, and footwear builds on the new consumer expectations of Google Shopping. When you integrate these tools, your brand will create an omnichannel, interactive experience that is fun and personalized.

To get started, try a web demo of the technology, then connect with Perfect Corp. to learn more about how AI technology can help your brand stand out on Google Shopping and beyond.