Google Vs. Amazon War – The Product Listing Advertising (PLA) War?

Ok, so all the speculation is in. We all know Amazon is about to kill the game! From offering enhanced Product Listing Advertising (PLA’s) to their A9 algorithm and enhanced search features, Amazon  offers some digital marketers a dream! Make money fast.

As ROAS (Return OnAdSpend) rules monthly budget conversations, many business owners have less time to wait for their marketing returns. Companies are looking to make money fast. Not a little money, but big money… high margin stuff! Whether you’re in the business to sell services or products, the ability to make money from digital marketing is more confusing than ever. Yet, it’s an all-time high. The irony, huh?

With that said, let me show you how Google and Amazon have devised a plan to make money in unimaginable ways ! Over the last 20 years, both Google and Amazon have studied your behavioral patterns along with purchase intent. In others words, , they have studied how you search and when you’re ready to buy. Hey, don’t be mad! You allow them!

Google and Amazon have devised ways to make money throughout the users ENTIRE shopping experience. “How?” you ask. Simple. They have all the data and infrastructure to support it. In five  easy steps, let me show you how Google and Amazon are seriously getting ready to throw down. Like Mike Tyson versus Holyfield, this internet game is about to get ugly. Get your popcorn ready, because it’s about to get real! 

1. Planning

It all started with a dream (in my Biggie Smalls voice)! Like any great outcome, it usually starts with a good plan. Google and Amazon have had a plan to dominate the entire time. From Google serving up search results to users for anything imaginable since 1999, Amazon has been shipping products since 1994.

Now to be fair, I don’t really believe both these companies’s CEOs could say things worked out exactlyhow they initially planned.. But that’s what makes this so great. They created their own problems and resolved them before anyone else. I guess that’s why you should write business plans each year.

The last 20 years, these two companies have changed the way people buy. It’s been revolutionizing to see the growth in the last 20 years, all because the evolution of these two companies. Although facing industry adversity, legal channels, and good ole’ American policie,; both Google and Amazon had a plan. Today we are seeing that plan unravel, and there isn’t much we can say or do about it!

2. Infrastructure

   At first the idea of shopping and searching for consumer products online was completely ridiculous, not to mention a slowly painful process. First, you had to drive over to your friend’s house to get on the DSL connection (because you still were on a 56K); then be lucky enough to have an active credit card to shop for anything online. Even if you  passed these steps, you then had to find a retailer selling the product you wanted online. Don’t mention shipping and proper delivery charges.

Oh, how things have changed in 2018! Both Google and Amazon have invested millions into making “shopping” online easy as pie. Think it, type it, and buy it! Purchasing isso simple  that their algorithms learn from your buying patterns daily and serve the highest quality products in milliseconds.  Both Google and Amazon offer you videos, reviews, and other related products based on information they gather from you. Now, you  can sit on the toilet and buy toilet paper, which will show up in a matter of hours if you’re an Amazon Prime member.

“How?” you ask. Just ask Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. They’re the real reason why we’re able to scan through hundreds of products in seconds. Last time I checked, Google doesn’t offer internet access. The data infrastructure was the first step of the process, with major telecommunication companies helping lead that effort. Maybe now you wonder why net neutrality is a hot topic. Data providers want the keys back, and they want it now!

3. Technology

Over the last 20 years, the evolution of mobile apps and websites have been at the forefront of technology. Intel, Mac, and Microsoft have helped make this process easier. While Google has been giving developers and programmers the tools they need to build, position, and rank for search terms on their search engine. The infrastructure is  built, while the technology to drive the data is created. The best manufacturers focus on hardware, while the smartest developers focus on the software. Such sweet harmony!

There is no doubt the rapid pace of technology has made this shift happen quicker, but Google and Amazon aren’t the companies responsible for making this happen. They just happen to be the beneficiaries of all the work. Neither company focused on computers (until recently), or provide internet data for consumers looking to search and shop. Yet, they continue to grow at a record-breaking pace. Why? Because it’s all about the “data mining” baby! (In my Puff Daddy Voice.)

4. Data

The single most important element that Google and Amazon have is the amount of data they have regarding consumers. Although the major telecom companies have your information too, they’re restricted in how they use it. That doesn’t include  Google, Amazon, and Facebook though. Yes, I include Facebook in this because that’s what makes them such a player in the game –  the quality of data!

The data is the single most important element of the equation.  Amazon seems to be ending Google by a long shot, simply because they focused on their users “Shopping” aspects. While Google has focused on “Search” intent, Amazon has been focused on “Buying” intentions, which is presently at the top of the list when it comes to conversions.

5. Action

Now that we’re at the point of searching and buying without ever taking out your wallet, the data that supports these initiatives is key. Advertisers want to get their products in front of certain audiences FAST! The idea of running banners across the internet is over. Advertisers have become smarter, have more tools to use, and channels to target. People are targeting every bid of their ad spend in an effort to get 10:1 return on what they project. The Holy Grail is what certain marketers call it. Very efficient performance marketing.

Target and refined marketing has taken over, and Amazon is winning. With Marin Software reporting over 70% of Google clicks coming from PLA’s (Product  Listing Ads), the race to figure out purchasers’ intention is on. Advertisers aren’t interested in brand ads, rather ads that target people who like (w), have bought (x), live in (y), and looking to buy (z).

I truly believe Amazon is working on ways to deliver products to the International Space Station. Seriously, if Telsa can send a car to Mars on a rocket, you don’t think Amazon can get a pair of scissors to the Internal Space Station? It’s like Google and Amazon are on the brink of a cold war, while telecommunication companies are fighting for their piece of the pie. What do you think? Feel free to tell me.. I would love to hear your thoughts!