Google Announces 'Purchases On Google' Feature; May Be Available For US Advertisers by Early 2016

Google announced a feature called “Purchases on Google” on July 15. The new feature will allow shoppers to purchase products directly from mobile search ads. Google is testing the “Buy” feature with a few retailers, according to reports.

In May, Google revealed its intention to enter the online commerce segment with the launch of “Buy Buttons” on its search result pages. However, the “Purchases On Google” appears to be a feature, which is not a button at all, reports Search Engine Land. According to the publication, “Buy on Google” messaging will be visible in eligible product listing ads on both iOS and Android based devices. Google is testing the new feature with select retailers and plans to make it available to advertisers in the US by late 2015 or early 2016, reports Tech Crunch.

How will “Purchases on Google” work?

Once customers click on Purchases On Google-enabled ads, they will be directed to a page hosted by Google where they can buy the product(s) using payment criteria stored with Google, reports Search Engine Land. According to Tech Crunch, the pages will be hosted by Google but the actual product fulfilment will be tackled by the merchants themselves. The purchase page will feature the merchant’s branding as the search engine giant does not intend to interfere in the relationship between merchants and consumers. If the purchase page does not feature what the customer is looking for, they can move on to look for other products.

While Google was planning on its “Buy Button” initiative, it was considered to possess great potential to give tough competition to e-commerce giants, like eBay and Amazon, but some market observers feel that this step will shift Google’s operations from being a search engine to e-commerce business, according to a Tech Times report published in May. Another report on Search Engine Land mentioned that the inclusion of buy buttons on Google Shopping ads on smartphones would transform Google from a referrer of e-commerce traffic to transactional middle-man. Google’s insertion into the purchasing process has concerned many retailers as it will hinder customer relationships and give Google access to important sales data.

(For feedback/comments, mail the writer at pragyan.ibtimes@gmail.com)