What is CSS?
CSS stands for Comparsion Shopping Services. First of all, it is basically Google Shopping. The difference here is a bidding advantage of around 20% compared to normal Google Shopping. Certified partners therefore have the advantage here of being able to enter into higher bids with precisely these savings.
Why should I allow CSS partners via the affiliate?
Affiliates have the advantage of processing sales via a CPO (cost per order). This means that only the defined share per sale is transferred to the partner. Click costs are completely eliminated and reduce the risk of not achieving an ROI.
Can I also run CSS via the affiliate if I run Google Shopping myself?
Short and sweet, yes.
If the merchant page is also assigned to your own account in the Merchant Center, Google prioritizes your own ads. Only if the store owner does not submit a bid can an external CSS partner enter with its own bid. And, as already mentioned, with a cost advantage of around 20% and can therefore remain in the bid for longer.
I already have an external CSS partner. How does it work here?
Here, too, it works in a similar way as if you were running Google Shopping yourself. The only difference is that your own partner can already exploit the bidding advantage. Nevertheless, CSS can also be used at this point via the affiliate. The prerequisite is that, as with normal Google Shopping, the store page has been claimed and submitted in the Merchant Center.
I do not want the bidding costs to increase
Don’t worry, that won’t happen. Bids for the same store cannot drive each other up.
Doesn’t the CSS partner cannibalize my own bids or the CSS partner?
No. According to Google, it is clearly regulated. Your own store always has priority. If you use a partner and they have set everything up correctly, no bid can be overplayed here either. Bidding sovereignty always lies with the store operator.
My own partner already uses the bidding advantage. So why should I allow more partners?
At least there is no reason not to allow it. Even if your partner does everything perfectly, there are no additional costs. The advantage is that other partners may use additional keywords or enter at higher bids than you. So you have the advantage of a higher reach, at the already fixed conditions in the affiliate.
In the worst case, the risk is therefore higher sales.
We recommend the following link to anyone who wants to take a closer look at the topic or is unsure:
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7558973?hl=de
