Google launches a new tool today to help retailers improve their customer online and omnichannel experiences. As users become more demanding about the information and service they expect online – and as retailers across Europe struggle to meet these expectations – Grow My Store scores retailers’ websites and generates bespoke reports with recommendations to help retailers improve the online experience they offer and grow their business.

This could include clear pricing and intuitive navigation, personalising the experience for shoppers, providing live chat support or making sure the site is mobile-friendly. Grow My Store tests retailers against up to 22 metrics based on in-depth studies into customer experience best practices.

The site will initially be available in English, French, German (DACH region) and Spanish with other European countries to follow in 2019.

Google created the tool as consumers become more demanding about the information and service they expect from retailers online. Building on the success of the International Growth platform Market Finder, a free tool which helps businesses to go global by guiding them along the export journey step by step, it became clear that a similar tool would be helpful for retailers to grow their businesses. Grow My Store will also direct users to relevant Google products and services that can move their business to the next phase of growth.

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Fionnuala Meehan, VP EMEA, Google Customer Solutions, said: “For retailers of all sizes, their website is their digital flagship store, so Google wants to help retailers to make their online and omnichannel customer experience as appealing as possible to customers. That’s why we have built a tool that brings together all this valuable insight into one place and then uses that insight to create bespoke recommendations for retailers providing clear support and advice.”

Retailer websites should be a number one priority for both online and multichannel retailers, with 90% of EMEA shoppers who visited a store in the last week saying they used online search prior to going in-store. Despite rising customer expectations many retailers across EMEA are failing to provide a best in class experience with 23% of retailers not publishing any contact information of their stores on their website.

Retailer recommendations in the Grow My Store tool are market specific and based on country-level research.

For example, almost two thirds (63%) of UK consumers say that clearly displayed prices are important for a good online shopping experience – and 77% of them want the search and filtering tools to feel intuitive and familiar.

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In Spain, 40% of customers list next day delivery as something that would most increase their likelihood of buying a product, while 81% say that free delivery is important for them to have a good online shopping experience.

In France, most shopper research occurs on mobile, while purchases still tend to happen on desktop.

More than half (58%) of German consumers say an easy returns policy would increase their likelihood of buying a product online.

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