Newsletter
Shopping for new clothes to wear can be an interesting but an exhaustive experience, depending on how long it takes for the average buyer to find exactly what he or she needs. All major fashion and retail brands have their own apps using which consumers can browse through categories, list their budgets and sift through hundreds of new designs. Given the tough competition in the space, consumers never run out of options and now Google wants to their share of the pie. Despite the plethora of shopping apps, Google claims that it can change the way you shop and its search engine can help you view more choices and complete your purchase quicker than ever. To make these happen, the internet search giant recently launched new search tools like Showcase Shopping ads and Shopping ads on image search to let you discover more while you search.
Thanks to these new tools, you will soon be able to search for unique designs and concepts by clicking on search results and viewing relevant products which will appear as shopping ads. Not only will the ads be brand-specific, but will also be similar to a design that you’ve clicked on, thus letting you choose the cheapest option or the best alternative design if money’s not a concern. Not only fashion brands, but fashion bloggers, publishers and retailers can also post their ads on Google Shopping, giving you more options in the process. According to Google, almost half of all smartphone users consult blogs and other sources to decide what to buy and which designs would suit them the most, so the company now aims to enable such a shopping experience on Google Search that people may not have to resort to blogs again.
Google Shopping has been in the limelight of late mostly for the wrong reasons. In Europe, the company could be asked to pay up as much as $3.3 billion in fines by next year following an antitrust investigation against its Shopping results. It was alleged that the company skews search results to make its own shopping results appear at the top at the cost of other brands and retailers. While Google has sought to bridge the confrontation with the European Antitrust Commission by funding various projects, including a $150 million Digital News Initiative Fund, the new shopping tools on web as well as image search may reinforce the European Commission’s belief that Google’s shopping results are specifically aimed at getting people to click on such links. However, 90% of people in Europe still use Google to search for things that they want to buy, and these new tools will surely make their shopping experience not only better, but also quicker.