Google is set to fully discontinue Google Catalogs on August 4 (Note: now extended to August 12), 2015, meaning that by then, all material published with Google Catalogs will be taken offline. We decided to step in and help brands migrate from Google Catalogs to Publitas.
As Google has not yet made a public announcement, here’s a small excerpt from the mail that they sent to all Google Catalogs users:
“The Google Catalogs publishing service will be permanently discontinued on August 4, 2015, with any published material or embedded hosted material remaining live until this time. However, support will end on May 4, 2015. This includes assistance with catalog creation, help with website embedding, and answering other support related questions.”
With Google Catalogs no longer supporting the creation of new catalogs, many brands previously using the service are now left without their online catalogs.
One of the issues for these brands moving forward is that they can no longer create new catalogs, unless they find an alternative solution. Another issue is that they will lose their current catalog archives in August.
Working with some of the largest retail brands in the world for the past 8 years, we know how important online catalogs are to a retailer’s business. The catalog is one of the best expressions of their brand and often accounts for a significant part of total sales.
So when we heard that Google Catalogs would be discontinued, we knew we could help and decided to provide an exclusive service for brands using Google Catalogs. This service allows these brands to easily migrate their existing catalogs (so they can keep them online) and gives them the tools to create beautiful, new catalogs going forward.
Why Publitas is a suitable replacement
After speaking with a number of the companies who have already made the transition away from Google Catalogs, we are sure that Publitas is an adequate substitute and that we will be able to assist other businesses as well. Here’s why:
Product hotspots
Publitas distinguishes itself from Google Catalogs as a possible substitute for that service by providing product hotspots, which is one of the characteristics that sets it distinct from Google Catalogs. The product annotations that are accessible via Google Catalogs and product hotspots are indistinguishable in any way.
In addition, we have made it more easier to migrate any Google Catalog to Publitas, including the migration of any and all product annotations. Since they allow retailers to sell directly from the pages of their online catalogues, product hotspots are an essential component of what we have to offer.
Google Shopping Feed specifications
Another reason why Publitas is a unique replacement for Google Catalogs is that we are the only service supporting exactly the same Google Shopping Feed specifications. There’s little change required from the brands using Google Catalogs to switch over to Publitas and to start publishing brand new publications.
The Google Shopping Feed saves a lot of time when tagging products in any new catalogs that are being published and it would be a big loss if the product feed would no longer be available to the brands that are switching over.
Improved mobile experience
With Publitas we’ve made sure that online publications work and look great on mobile devices. Compare this with any catalog published with Google – that has no dedicated mobile view – and it’s easy to see how we provide an improvement here.
More about Catalogs replacement
P.S. We’ve set up a landing page for Google Catalogs brands looking to switch, so feel free to have a look at that for more information.
