Following the big revamp of Google Shopping last fall, Google today is updating the shopping experience on Google Search, on mobile. Now, when you do a web search for clothing, shoes and accessories, you won’t just get a set of links to different products and stores. Instead, Google will present a new section where it features the most popular products from stores around the web, which you can filter and browse.
For example, you could search for things like “running shoes” or “women’s leather belt” or “wide-leg pants,” Google explains, then be presented with a selection of items in a new, visual guide. You can then further narrow down what you’re looking for by style, department or size type, and view images. Underneath each item, Google will also display how many stores carry that product and the lowest price (e.g. “$199+”).
This change will help in particular when you’re trying to find all the stores that carry one particular item — something that hasn’t been easy to do in the past.
And as you view the item in question, you can scroll down to read aggregated customer reviews. When you’re ready to buy, you’ll just click on the link to the store you want to shop.
The feature is powered by Google’s search index, which has organized products from more than a million online stores and is regularly refreshed. The new shopping feature isn’t a paid advertisement for retailers either, Google notes. Participating retailers can include their eligible products within this section for free.
The changes are part of a large focus on how the shopping experience can be improved for online retailers as Google revamps to become the go-to platform for finding everything that’s not on Amazon. On that front, Google this week acquired a startup, Pointy, for $163 million, to help physical retailers track their in-store inventory.
The company also recently updated the Google Shopping homepage to become a personalized destination based on your habits and purchases, with additions like a price tracker and new ways to shop from both local and online retailers. But many online searchers’ first stop when looking for clothing and accessories isn’t the Google Shopping destination — it’s a simple Google Search. That’s where the new features come in.
Google says the updated experience will begin rolling out starting today and through this week, on mobile devices only.