Ahead of the holiday season, Google is boosting its search tools for brands

Google's latest shopping tools upgrade comes at a time when its most significant business is being threatened by Amazon.

What happened

Tech giant Google recently introduced nine new shopping tools to cash in on the upcoming online holiday shopping traffic, with an eye on leveraging its search capabilities.

Why it matters

At a company event called ‘Search On’, Google unveiled a variety of new features, designed to improve visual shopping on Google, allow people to do more detailed product research, and use the search engine as a source for style inspiration.

One of the new tools is a shop in 3D visual feature, piloted with brands like Vans and Sketchers, that will allow shoppers to see 3D visuals of shoes before making a purchase. Another new feature is a buying guide to help people navigate more complex shopping decisions when buying more expensive products. The new features are available at no additional cost to retailers of all sizes.

Google’s attempt at creating a new flywheel to connect merchants and consumers comes at a time when its most significant business is being threatened by Amazon. According to eMarketer, Amazon is stealing share from Google within search advertising, as it continues to better monetize the channel. By the end of 2022, Amazon’s share of search ad business is expected to surpass 20%, the report noted. As one e-commerce expert told Modern Retail, Google aims to make it simpler for the average user to make purchases by enhancing its search features.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Modern Retail on 2022-09-30. The original report is linked below.