Google supports EMEA retailers to accelerate their business recovery

According to new research conducted by Google and Euromonitor, most purchases in the upcoming five years will still be made in store, but retailers who bring together their online (digital stores) and offline (physical store) offerings will make the biggest gains.

Google on Thursday kicked off Accelerating Retail, a month of activities dedicated to helping retailers, regardless of their sizes, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) accelerate their business recovery, both online and offline and adapt to the rapidly changing consumer behavior.

According to new research conducted by Google and Euromonitor, most purchases in the upcoming five years will still be made in store, but retailers who bring together their online (digital stores) and offline (physical store) offerings will make the biggest gains. Further, multichannel retailers and online marketplaces will drive 86 percent of the sales growth by 2024 which means an integrated consumer experience will drive the future of retail.

To help retailers embrace digital opportunities and drive resilience and growth, the search giant will introduce new products, tools, free training, unique real-time insights, and other resources over the next month. A few among them are analyzed below.

In view of the increasing demand for online retail, Google is launching a new version of Grow My Store, a tool that assesses a retail website's customer experience and provides detailed insights and recommendations for improvement, in multiple countries including Germany, France, Netherlands and Turkey. Businesses of all sizes can enter their website URL into the tool and get a customized report, industry benchmarks, digital traffic trends and actionable tips to improve and strengthen their business.

The company is also upgrading Smart Shopping campaigns to help retailers acquire new customers and simplify advertiser onboarding. Google has also launched an interactive tool to understand fast-rising retail categories globally in Search with daily updates to reflect changes in consumer interests.

"The messy middle has become even messier over the course of the pandemic our needs changed, product and store availability became unpredictable. This big shift is an opportunity for retail businesses large and small," Matt Brittin, President, Google Europe, Middle East and Africa wrote in a blog post.

"We're here to help retailers respond effectively so they can quickly understand and act on consumer changes while building their brand both at store and online."