Since Google’s social layer, Google+, is making its way into all of the company’s products, its Shopping venture isn’t being left out. Today, the company announced two new features for Google Shopping to help you find the best reviews for items as you’re making your holiday decisions. Which TV? Which gadget? Well, why not read reviews from people you might be connected to. Makes sense to me.
You can also write reviews on Google Shopping and share them with friends and family. Google+ is the backbone to all of this, but the destination site itself is not required to participate in any of the social features here. It’s really a profile and identity play for Google more than anything.
This is a no-brainer, as Google+ was heavily integrated into its Local product, the one that leverages its Zagat acquisition.
Here’s a peek at what the new features look like. Find an item within Google Shopping, and it’ll surface reviews from contacts:
I love how Google uses an ice cream maker as an example. That company really likes its sweets. Jelly beans anyone? Writing a review is pretty simple and straightforward. When you find the item that you’ve purchased and want to review, pop the box and do so:
Google knows that you’re more likely to spend money if you’re influenced by people that you actually know. Many times, I visit sites like Yelp or Amazon and see reviews from strangers and wonder where their head was when they wrote what they wrote. Were they mad? Were they snarky? Do they know how to even use what they reviewed? Who knows?
There’s nothing amazing here as far as new technology; the amazing part is that Google really is going all the way by making its products more social. We’ve seen Google+ pop up in Gmail, Docs, Maps, Search and more. It’s here to stay, and it’s not a “competition” with Facebook. The company is doing something pretty unique…imagine that.
[Photo credit: Flickr]