Google launched new rules for shoppers yesterday

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Happy Monday to 9,805 caffeinated (?) Shopify Savants! 👋

Ada here. It’s a new week, which means it’s another fresh opportunity to improve your store by 1%.

Here’s what’s inside today’s edition:

• Industry: New standards for AI-related shopping

• Trend: 3 words - Pilate socks. $280k/month.

• Growth Hack: Stop blocking sales with your reviews

• Challenge: Fix your reviews

Industry: Yesterday, Google launched a new standard to enhance AI-shopping

I feel like I have to apologise for yet another AI-related bit of news, but honestly, we merchants can’t catch a break with the rate of development in the industry (please vote below if you’d like me to keep reporting on how you can take advantage of the changing AI landscape… or if you’d had it up to here)

So…Google just dropped a massive announcement yesterday: it launched a new standard & new tools to connect merchants with AI shoppers.

3 main updates in plain English:

1. Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP): Google is standardizing the way AI Agents (like ChatGPT, Gemini, etc) “talk” to online stores. Your store must meet this standard (co-developed with Shopify, Walmart, Etsy and others) to benefit from AI searches … so that AI agents can interact with your store’s inventory and checkout seamlessly.

2. Business Agent: It launched new "virtual sales associate" feature for Search that answers shoppers questions in your brand voice. It went live today with select retailers (as usual) - Lowe’s, Michael’s, Reebok and others. The rest of us await our invites, starting with eligible U.S. retailers.

3. Direct Offers: A new ad type where you can offer exclusive discounts specifically to high-intent shoppers using AI mode. (e.g., A user asks AI for a "modern rug under $300," and your store pops up with a dynamic 20% off coupon to close the deal).

This matters because we’re are moving from "Search Engine Optimization" to "Agent Engine Optimization." If your product data isn't optimized and structured correctly in Merchant Center, the AI agents won't be able to "read" your store, and you'll be invisible in this new checkout flow.

Growth Hack: The review connundrum

Found this brilliant question on Reddit recently.

This stood out because in Google’s latest UCP we just talked about, review schema are a key factor for showing your store in search results, including AI results.

Unfortunately, a lot of stores make a critical mistake when choosing how to display reviews: dumping a wall of text reviews right next to the "Add to Cart" button. This pushes your Call to Action (CTA) down the page and distracts the user away from buying.

There is a better way (according to recent CRO discussions among top merchants). The highest-converting layout for reviews is:

1. Above the Fold: Only show a star rating summary (e.g., "4.8/5 based on 200 reviews") near the price. Link this to the bottom section.

2. The Highlight: Show one curated snippet or a "Trusted by X travelers" badge near the buy button.

3. The Bottom: Move the full list of written reviews to the bottom of the page and use Lazy Loading… Fabletics does this beautifully..

Why it works: It keeps the page lightning-fast (vital for mobile) and ensures the "Buy" button is the main character. Users who want to read novels can scroll down; users who are ready to buy aren't distracted.

Your dream is ready. Are you?

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Today is your day.

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Weekly Challenge: Fix your reviews

Optimize your review layout to speed up your page in less than 60 minutes using Stamped. Stamped makes your reviews look good, integrates well with all Google’s services, and even helps you collect reviews automatically.

Trend: Pilates socks

Pilates socks are non-slip socks with rubber grips underneath for stability during workouts. They’re cute, functional, and all over TikTok with more than 12 million posts. One top seller on Amazon makes about $287K every month.

Search volume for brands has tripled in two years, and this is part of a bigger trend called Pilates Fashion. There’s even a name for the aesthetic: Pilates Princess. Basically, wealthy, wellness-obsessed, stylish is the idea.

3 Ways to Cash In (The "Pilates Princess" Bundle):

1. The Core Product (Socks): Sourcing these is relatively cheap. Focus on the "coquette" aesthetic…pastels, ribbons, or cute phrases on the soles.

2. The "Commuter" Upsell: The "Pilates Princess" trend isn't just about the workout; it's about the lifestyle. Sell Pilates Bags (small duffels that fit a water bottle and socks) or specific pouches for sweaty gear.

3. The Apparel Cross-Sell: Users are looking for Pilates Bras (light support, racerback) and High-Waisted Leggings. Since socks are a low-AOV item, use them as the "candy at the checkout" to get people to buy the more expensive leggings.

Till next Monday,
Ada