Growing Ecommerce · 2026-06-02 · 35 min
Meta has overtaken Google in ad budgets - and for ecommerce advertisers, that changes everything. It means Google is on the offensive. It means the pressure to split your budget between platforms is about to intensify. And it means that if you're not set up correctly on Google's AI surfaces right now, you're already losing ground to competitors who are. In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan (smec's Head of Ecommerce Insights) and Chris share firsthand takeaways from GML 2026 - both the San Francisco and Dublin events - with unfiltered takes on what actually matters for your campaigns. What we cover: → Google vs.
Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) Explained: What Every Ecommerce Brand Must Know64 / 100Google Goes a Box Too Far - Plus Why OpenAI’s $100B Ad Dream Doesn’t Add UpGoogle's AI Now Picks Which Product You Sell | Plus: ChatGPT Shopping Ads Arrive TooThe EU Is Breaking Temu & Shein - Plus Google's Hidden AI MetricGoogle Just Added Text Ads to Shopping Campaigns - Is AI Max for Shopping a Win or a Trap?