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Google’s New AI Crawler Goes Live, Why Cold Opens Work, and Popups Power Asphalte’s Growth

July 24 - Edition #40

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Dia Creative
July 24, 2025

July 24, 2025 - Edition #40

What we’re digging into this week:

  • 🕷 Google Debuts New AI Crawler

  • 🧊 Mastering the Cold Open

  • 👕 Creative Popups Power Asphalte's Growth

  • ⚡️ Quick Hits: Meta’s Guide to Reels, TikTok Live, and Instagram’s New Text Overlay Feature

Google's New AI Crawler: A Game Changer for E-commerce Data

Image Source: Search Engine Journal

Image Source: Search Engine Journal

In a move with significant implications for e-commerce businesses leveraging Artificial Intelligence, Google has quietly rolled out a new web crawler, Google-CloudVertexBot. This specialized bot isn't designed for traditional search indexing; instead, it's a key component of Google's Vertex AI Agent Builder, offering a powerful new way for online retailers to harness their website data.

Understanding the Google-CloudVertexBot:

Unlike Googlebot and AdsBot, the Google-CloudVertexBot operates on a fundamentally different principle: it only crawls websites at the explicit request of the site owner. This marks a departure from Google's broad, public web crawling activities and signals a focused effort to empower businesses with AI-driven data analysis.

Key aspects of this new crawler for e-commerce businesses:

  • Directly Integrates with Vertex AI Agent Builder: This means e-commerce platforms using Vertex AI to build chatbots, recommendation engines, and other AI-powered tools can now directly feed their own website data into these systems.

  • Precision Data Collection: Instead of relying on Google's existing crawl data (which might not be perfectly tailored or up-to-date for specific business needs), retailers can instruct Google-CloudVertexBot to crawl specific domains and content relevant to their AI applications.

  • Enhanced Control Over Data: The "advanced website indexing" feature requires domain verification, giving e-commerce businesses greater control over the data Google's AI can access and utilize. This is crucial for ensuring data privacy and relevance.

  • Tailored Data for AI Models: By using Google-CloudVertexBot, online stores can train their Vertex AI agents on comprehensive and specific data sets, including product descriptions, images (with metadata), blog content, and customer support information – leading to more accurate and effective AI-powered customer interactions and insights.

Why This Matters for E-commerce:

For online retailers, the Google-CloudVertexBot opens up exciting possibilities:

  • Smarter Product Recommendations: Train AI models on detailed product data and customer behavior to deliver highly personalized and effective product recommendations.

  • Enhanced Customer Service Chatbots: Equip chatbots with comprehensive knowledge of your product catalog, policies, and FAQs by directly crawling your help center and product pages.

  • Improved Search Functionality: Power on-site search with AI that understands nuanced product descriptions and customer intent based on your specific website content.

  • Deeper Business Insights: Analyze crawled data using Vertex AI to identify trends, customer preferences, and areas for improvement in your online store.

Actionable Insights for E-commerce Businesses:

  • Explore Vertex AI Agent Builder: If you're looking to integrate sophisticated AI into your e-commerce operations, investigate Google's Vertex AI Agent Builder and its new advanced website indexing capabilities.

  • Strategize Your Data Crawling: Carefully plan which parts of your website would be most valuable for training your AI agents.

  • Leverage Rich Media Data: The ability to crawl images with metadata opens doors for visually-driven AI applications in product discovery and recommendations.

Google's quiet launch of Google-CloudVertexBot signals a significant step towards democratizing access to tailored AI solutions for e-commerce. By giving businesses more direct control over the data that powers their AI, Google is empowering online retailers to create more intelligent, personalized, and ultimately more successful online experiences.

The Power of the Cold Open in Marketing Storytelling

Image Source: Descript

In marketing, getting attention is crucial. That’s where the cold open comes in—a storytelling technique that can turn your content from average to engaging.

Let’s explore why it works and how you can use it effectively.

What is a Cold Open?

A cold open plunges your audience directly into the action, skipping preambles and explanations.

It's the storytelling equivalent of being airdropped into unfamiliar territory—intriguing, disorienting, and impossible to ignore.

Why It Works

  • Instant Engagement: By starting in media res, you pique curiosity from the first sentence.

  • Creates Questions: Readers stick around to find answers, driving engagement.

  • Shows, Doesn't Tell: It immerses the audience in the experience rather than reporting facts.

Crafting Your Cold Open

  1. Choose a Pivotal Moment: Start with a scene that encapsulates the essence of your story.

  2. Use Vivid Details: Paint a picture with words to transport your reader.

  3. Create Tension: Introduce an element of conflict or mystery early.

  4. Avoid Exposition: Let the story unfold naturally without explaining too much upfront.

The Benefits for Marketers

  • Increased Read-Through Rates: A compelling opening keeps readers scrolling.

  • Memorable Content: Unique openings stand out in a sea of generic intros.

  • Emotional Connection: By immersing readers in a scene, you create a stronger emotional bond.

Putting It Into Practice

Try this approach in your next blog post, email campaign, or social media story. Start with action, dialogue, or a vivid description, and watch your engagement rise as your audience leans in for more.

In marketing storytelling, the way you start often decides if your audience sticks around. Nail the cold open, and watch your content come to life.

This French Brand Pulls 4,000+ Leads a Month

Image Source: Comme Un Camion

Asphalte, a French fashion brand, has transformed customer engagement and lead generation with creative popup campaigns, driving impressive growth.

The Power of Personalized Engagement

Asphalte's success lies in its ability to align popup content with its unique brand mission:

  • Introducing the Brand: A time-triggered popup appears after 30 seconds, inviting first-time visitors to participate in shaping future fashion trends.

  • Attention-Grabbing Design: Custom popups feature engaging headlines like "Well, this is awkward," paired with brand-inspired photography.

  • Mobile Optimization: SEO-friendly versions ensure a seamless experience across all devices.

Continuous Improvement Through Testing

Ben's team leveraged Wisepops' A/B testing capabilities to optimize their campaigns:

  • Design Variations: Full-screen vs. partial-screen popups were tested to maximize impact.

  • Targeting Rules: Different customer segments were engaged with tailored messaging.

  • Copy Refinement: Various text versions were tested to find the most compelling language.

These efforts increased popup click-through rates from 15% to an impressive 25%.

On-Site Notifications

Asphalte launched an on-site notification system similar to social media, using a loudspeaker icon with a red bubble for unread messages.

Notifications included pre-order campaigns, email invites, and inventory updates. Visitors engaging with them converted 3.5 times more and viewed 2.5 times more pages.

The Numbers Speak Volumes

Asphalte's strategic use of Wisepops has yielded remarkable results:

  • 4,000 New Leads Monthly: A consistent 20-25% CTR on popup campaigns.

  • 15,000 Engaged Visitors: Monthly interactions introducing the brand's unique mission.

  • Revenue Impact: 11.5% of notification-engaged visitors contributed to 42% of revenue.

By truly understanding their audience and using personalized, non-intrusive engagement tools, Asphalte has built a lead generation powerhouse.

Their strategy shows that even straightforward popups can become powerful engines for growth and deep customer connections when done right.

⚡️ Quick Hits

What we’re working on right now:

Retention Marketing: The "Secret" Weapon for Ecommerce Growth

While acquiring new customers is important, focusing solely on them can be expensive. A focus on retention marketing reduces organizational customer acquisition cost and skyrockets lifetime value. Here's why retention marketing should be your top priority:

1. Cost-effective: Customer retention strategies cost 5-25 times less than acquiring new ones. You've already nurtured new customers through the sales funnel; retention keeps them engaged and ready to buy again.

2. Boost Your Bottom Line: A mere 5% increase in customer retention can translate to a whopping 25-95% profit increase. Satisfied customers are more likely to return for more, boosting profitability.

3. Revenue on Autopilot: Surveys reveal that 61% of businesses generate over half their revenue from repeat customers. Loyal customers become a reliable source of income, fueling your business growth.

4. Higher Average Order Value (AOV): Repeat customers spend 67% more than newbies. They trust your brand and are more open to trying new products, leading to more significant sales for you.

5. Free Marketing: Loyal customers are your biggest brand ambassadors. They rave to friends and family, influencing buying decisions. Studies show that 90% of people trust recommendations from friends.

Despite these benefits, many businesses struggle with retention. They have the data and understand the market, yet fail to connect with their customers truly. Is that your case? Book a free strategic call and see how you can improve client retention and increase revenue.

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