Google Shopping dominates Europe’s product box after DMA change
BrightEdge data, reported by Search Engine Roundtable, says Google Shopping appears 16 to 35 times more often than the next-largest service in Europe's new comparison box. The box is premium space, so rival comparison sites get little of it.
- BrightEdge: Google Shopping appears 16-35x as often as the next-largest service in the new European box.
- 71% of comparison site appearances land in the top four positions, so the box is premium space.
- Ecommerce teams in Europe should check where they appear and not assume the DMA change levels the field.
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Google’s post-DMA product box in Europe is mostly showing Google Shopping, according to new BrightEdge data. As reported by Search Engine Roundtable, the change was meant to help rival comparison services, but the early picture looks different.
What did BrightEdge find in Google Shopping Europe?
BrightEdge found that the Google Shopping box appears 16 to 35 times as often as the next-largest service, per Search Engine Roundtable’s report. The analysis covered four markets: Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
BrightEdge also reported that 71% of comparison site appearances fall in the top four result positions, from 61% in France to 76% in Spain and Italy. Its conclusion: “the box is premium space.”
This follows Google dropping its free product listings in Europe because of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The report notes Google called that the biggest reduction in search quality in its history.
Does the DMA change help rival comparison sites?
So far, not visibly, if BrightEdge’s numbers hold. Mike Ryan, who is based in Austria, said on X that the change was meant to bolster the visibility of comparison shopping services (CSS). He added that he has never seen a single CSS spotlighted except Google Shopping, though he called that his own n=1 observation.
Two caveats. This is one data provider’s analysis of four markets, relayed through a news report, and we have not seen the full BrightEdge methodology. And Ryan’s comment is an observation, not a measurement. Treat the 16-35x range as a strong signal, not settled fact.
The practical point is placement. If most comparison box appearances sit in the top four positions, then being absent or buried there costs real visibility, and the paid and organic routes into that space matter more than before.
How to check your Google Shopping Europe visibility
- Audit your key product queries in Spain, Italy, France and Germany and note which services appear in the box and where.
- Compare against your old free listing traffic. Look at product-related clicks and impressions from before and after the change.
- Ask your CSS partner or agency how your products are represented in the box, if you use one.
- Don’t rely on one data source. Run your own checks alongside third-party studies, since a single tool’s sample may differ from your category.
- Keep feeds and product pages clean so you are ready for whichever route into the box proves most useful.
Follow further shopping and marketing changes in our Digital Marketing coverage.