Nigerian retailers preparing for Black Friday and the December shopping rush could lose potential customers if the information displayed on their Google listings is outdated, Google has warned.
According to Google’s Director for East and West Africa, Olumide Balogun, retailers need to make sure shoppers can easily find accurate and up to date information about their businesses before spending heavily on advertising.
Black Friday is scheduled for November 27, followed closely by the December festive shopping season, a period that typically brings some of the busiest trading weeks of the year for Nigerian businesses.
Balogun said many shoppers first discover products on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok before turning to Google to confirm whether a business is genuine, check prices, find its location and determine whether it is open.
He explained that outdated opening hours, unanswered phone numbers or old photographs could discourage customers who are already interested in making a purchase.
“Many Nigerian shoppers find a product on Instagram or TikTok, then check Google to see if the shop is real, the price is right and the address is close,” Balogun said.
He added that a customer who finds an old phone number or incorrect opening hours may simply move on to another seller, even after deciding to buy.
Following Google’s announcements at the DMEXCO marketing conference in Cologne, Balogun advised retailers to review and update their Google Business Profiles ahead of the shopping season.
He urged businesses to confirm that their contact numbers are active, upload recent photographs showing products currently available and respond to customer reviews. Retailers were also advised to include their special Black Friday opening hours so customers are not left uncertain about when they can shop.
Balogun also called on businesses running Search adverts to adjust to the changing way consumers search for products. He noted that shoppers are increasingly using detailed questions, voice searches and photographs when looking for items, making it harder for advertisers to predict every possible search through a fixed list of keywords.
He recommended that businesses consider enabling AI Max in their Search campaigns to help their adverts reach customers making relevant searches that may not have been covered by their existing keyword lists.
Citing Google’s figures, Balogun said businesses using the feature recorded 27 per cent more conversions at roughly the same cost. However, he advised advertisers to give the system about two weeks before assessing its performance.
He further encouraged retailers to look beyond the number of clicks their adverts generate and pay closer attention to actual business results, including completed purchases, WhatsApp enquiries and phone calls.
“Clicks alone do not pay salaries,” he said.
For retailers seeking to improve their online campaigns, Balogun recommended using clear and detailed product descriptions that provide useful information such as size, colour and material. He also suggested testing different adverts using photographs businesses already have of their products.
With the Black Friday and December shopping periods expected to attract intense competition among retailers, keeping online business information accurate and measuring advertising by actual customer actions could help sellers get more value from their existing marketing budgets.
