Google streamlines ad creation with AI

Retailers seeking to post ads on Google are getting a big boost from generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Based on machine learning (ML), generative AI can create new content and ideas, including conversations, stories, images, videos, and music. Google is rolling out several generative AI-based advertising solutions for retailers and brands using its platform. These include:

Product Studio

This new tool enables companies to create unique, tailored product imagery for free. Advertisers can create new imagery based on current marketing needs (such as seasonality or a specific campaign) by describing the image they want, such as requesting an image of a product “surrounded by peaches, with tropical plants in the background.” 

Users can also remove a complex background, as well as improve the quality of small or low-resolution images without having to reshoot a product. U.S. retailers will have access to Product Studio from the Google Merchant Center Next product listing platform starting in the next few months. These features will also be available to retailers using the Google & YouTube app on Shopify. 

Chat-based ad creation

Gogole is also introducing a new, natural-language conversational experience within Google Ads. Advertisers can add a preferred landing page from their website and Google AI will summarize the page.

Then, Google AI will generate relevant keywords, headlines, descriptions, images and other assets for the campaign. Advertisers can review and edit suggestions before deploying.

AI-enhanced Performance Max

Google is adding generative AI functionality to its Performance Max campaign management solution. Advertisers can provide their website, and Google AI will start learning about their brand to populate their campaign with text and other relevant assets. Performance Max will also suggest new unique images generated by AI for a specific campaign.

This capability will also be available through the new conversational experience in Google Ads.

AI-based Google listings

Merchant Center Next is a simplified version of the Google Merchant Center platform, built to make it easier for smaller retailers to get started and find customers online. In the past, retailers setting themselves up on Google for the first time had to manually add their products, prices, images, descriptions and other details.

In Merchant Center Next, Google will automatically populate a retailer’s product feed with the information it can detect from their website (retailers can always edit what gets pulled in, or turn this off) — making it easier to quickly show their products across Google.

For retailers with both online and local brick-and-mortar stores, Merchant Center Next will show all products in one comprehensive view. The platform will also show new insights about the potential benefits of fixing errors in product data.

Merchant Center Next has already started rolling out for new users. Google will start upgrading smaller businesses over the coming months, with plans to complete the global rollout in 2024. Users will be notified when the new experience is ready for them.

Google piloting AI-powered shopping searches

In a test, Google is integrating new generative AI functionality into its search engine. This means consumers will be able to conduct online searches by asking conversational questions.

Context will be carried over from question to question, to help consumers more naturally continue their search. Search results will also provide jumping-off points to web content and different perspectives.

For shopping-related searches, generative AI will provide a variety of factors to consider and relevant products. Results will also include product descriptions that include up-to-date reviews, ratings, prices and product images.

[Read more: Google makes images, search results shoppable]