Google has announced a slew of new features and updates that could apparently make shopping over the Internet better, and of course — fend off the likes of Amazon and others. The new features include shopping ads in image search, an update to the local inventory ads and better focus on Google Express.
The web giant announced that now users will see ads for related products when they are browsing over Google Image search results. This means that instead of having to go to the E-commerce website to buy something, you could just Google it via image search and get the best results as ads right there.
The ads appear right above the other Image search results and users can use the new filter button to find exactly what they want. There on, you are just a few clicks away from learning about the price and other details of the product. And in case you decide to buy it, you will be redirected to the retailer.
While all of this may look like a sage’s work, the intentions — it seems — are to make sure that it isn’t left out of any of the processes (including online shopping). The company wants shoppers to use its website directly, earning traffic, rather than just acting as a linker between the buyers and the retailers. The main entity Google is targeting in this pitch is Amazon.
Jeweler Swarovski is one of the first brands to display visual ads over Google Image search.
Yelena Aschberger, Vice President of Digital Communication, PR & Events at Swarovski CGB said,
Swarovski is an emotional brand and we are always looking for new ways to bring our products into a visually inspiring context. We’re thrilled to be able to leverage Google’s newest formats, particularly Shopping ads on image search which will allow us to engage shoppers and inspire them to desire our brand as they’re browsing and discovering products in our categories.
Google also adds that any ad is automatically eligible to be shown on image search as part of its Search Network.
Next up, Google is making local inventory ads more visible to users. This service allowed users to book stuff they wanted online and then head down to their local store to pick it up. The service resulted in 40 to 50 percent increase in clicks for Kohl’s.
The company is now offering retailers the ability to show a ‘store pickup link’ on their Google-hosted local product page. The inventories are also going to be searchable on Google.com in the local Knowledge Panel, a place where shoppers already look for store hours and directions. This is the only service from Google that has seen a good reception. Other features have widely been called underwhelming.
Google also said that its Express service has grown a lot since its advent, now bringing in more than 50 percent new customers to retailers. Also, sales from retailers’ existing customers have grown by 18 percent. The company added that they will be launching the service in Texas and parts of surrounding states in June.
