08/27/2020

UPS-owned Ware2Go, Google Team on Online Delivery

The integration will dynamically display free, fast delivery promises within merchants’ Google ads.

UPS-owned Ware2Go has launched an e-commerce partnership and integration service with Google Shopping that is designed to promote quicker shipping for small- and medium-sized merchants. The news provides the latest sign of how logistics promises to take on even more importance in the retail world going into 2021.

The integration will dynamically display free, fast delivery promises within merchants’ Google ads, based on real-time inventory availability across Ware2Go’s fulfillment network. Ware2Go mainly serves small- and medium-sized retailers.

These new tools could help merchants optimize ad efficiency using Google Shopping, driving revenue by advertising free, fast shipping offers much earlier in the buyer’s journey, including at the point of initial product research via Google Search.

"Ware2Go is committed to building relationships with partners that enable merchants to exceed customer expectations across commerce,” said Ware2Go CEO Steve Denton. “By pairing the new Google Free and Fast offering with our flexible and scalable fulfillment solution, merchants can grow their market demand faster by positioning their delivery speed as a revenue driver.”

A recent Ware2Go survey indicated that 52% of merchants found a fast shipping promise to be the most effective tactic to increase cart conversion, with nearly 65% of merchants reporting an increase of up to 25% in conversion rates when 1-2 day delivery was offered. According to initial data from Google Shopping, merchants displaying the free and fast annotation saw a 7% increase in conversions, a 10% increase in conversions per dollar, and a 9% overall conversion rate.

Google’s own research into behavioral shopping patterns shows clear consumer preference for products with a free and fast delivery promise, demonstrating that Ware2Go’s extended 1-2 day delivery footprint not only increases customer satisfaction but also drives conversions and ultimately top line revenue for its merchants. When Ware2Go’s merchant partner O2 Natural Recovery, a sports recovery and energy drink brand, began including their fast shipping promise in their advertising messaging, they saw a clear uptick in overall sales.

UPS launched Ware2Go in 2018. The company sells a turnkey nationwide fulfillment network designed to help merchants easily position products closer to end customers for a fast, inexpensive and reliable order-to-delivery experience.

This launch comes as Amazon continues to improve its own logistical capabilities — including for autonomous delivery and to offer ever quicker delivery times. It’s hard to see how most retailers operating on their own — that is, outside of a larger online marketplace ecosystem — can keep up with Amazon. Even so, this latest news about Ware2Go and Google Shopping offer an idea about how SMBs and other players intend to beef up the retail delivery proposition in the coming months.