People are silhouetted as they pose with laptops in front of a screen projected with a Google logo, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014.
People are silhouetted as they pose with laptops in front of a screen projected with a Google logo, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014. Reuters/Dado Ruvic

Very soon, Google will launch ‘buy buttons’ on its search result pages and the button will be included directly into its shopping search results, according to reports.

According to a report on the Wall Street Journal via 9 to 5 Google, Google is keen on entering the online commerce space and compete with eBay and Amazon. The button will be available near sponsored search results below a ‘Shop on Google’ heading at the top of the page, reports 9 to 5 Google. The ‘buy now’ buttons will not be available in non sponsored search results. Once users click on the ‘buy button’, they will be taken to another Google page where they can buy any commodity. This page will also let users select specific details about the item like size, colour and then choose a shipping speed, as per the report.

Google will only facilitate the purchase process as the products will still be provided and sold by retailers. According to the report, Google is reportedly working with retailers like Macy to launch this initiative. Google will start testing the ‘buy button’ only with a small percentage of users, says the 9 to 5 Google report.

According to a report on Tech Times, the program has 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.

Google had recently announced a new feature that allowed US consumers to order food from restaurants directly from the search results and the service was launched with six partners including GrubHub and MyPizza.com, reports Tech Times. Online retailers feel that Google’s upcoming ‘buy buttons’ will affect their sales up to a great extent and divert customers to buy from Google’s retailers.

As per a report on Search Engine Land, 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, reports Search Engine Land.

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