Google Cloud Expands its Partnership with Shopify and Develops Merchant Integration with Square

Google Cloud continues to expand its partner ecosystem with e-commerce platforms of record, introducing a new integration with Square for seller discoverability and an extended engagement with Shopify.

Shopify and Google revealed at Google I/O that they are working on an integration that will allow Shopify merchants to feature their items across Google Search, Maps, Images, Lens, and YouTube. The integration aims to make merchants more discoverable in the Google Shopping ecosystem among high-intent customers.

Building on that integration, Shopify said it would use more Google Cloud technologies across a more extensive range of regions to give more merchants access to Google's cloud infrastructure. Shopify will specifically use Google Cloud to bring data processing and storage closer to merchants in more areas, which it claims will enhance store speed and performance while also reducing latency and providing consumers with more personalized experiences.

Shopify will also join Google Cloud's Partner Advantage program, allowing the two companies to collaborate on joint go-to-market initiatives.

Shopify said its merchants generated nearly $120 billion in gross merchandise value during the COVID-19 pandemic (GMV). Shopify reported a 71% growth in the number of new stores created on the platform between Q1 2020 and Q2 2020. Meanwhile, Shopify's fiscal 2020 revenue increased 86% year over year, while its peak site traffic recently jumped 20% month over month.

"We know that 84% of customers have shopped online since the COVID-19 pandemic," said Farhan Thawar, VP of Engineering at Shopify. "Improved store speed and performance will provide our merchants a competitive advantage by allowing them to serve buyers better wherever they are, and it will do it in the most energy-efficient way possible via Google Cloud."

Square also announced a new integration with Google Merchant Center on Thursday, which will allow merchants on its platform to add their item catalog to the Google Shopping ecosystem. The integration, which is a repeat of the one announced by Shopify and Google last week, allows Square merchants to appear in direct product listings across Google Search, Maps, Images, Lens, and YouTube. WooCommerce and GoDaddy are also creating a similar integration with Google Cloud for their sellers.

"As we both work toward supporting a more open commerce ecosystem and empowering retailers of all sizes, Google has a natural synergy with platforms like Square," said Bill Ready, Google's president of Commerce, Payments, and NBU. "Our new integration will enable Square for Retail merchants to be discovered by more people across Google for free, giving customers more options in their shopping journeys."