Google vs Amazon: Two giants go head-to-head

Google’s New Shopping Platform

Google have released a new shopping platform. Their aim is to rival Amazon as the top search engine for shopping. It seems as though Amazon sell every product imaginable and are thus considered the market leader in this realm.

This isn’t good for Google.

Why have Google created this platform?

Google have lost ground to Amazon. When searching for products, many consumers now begin their search on Amazon rather than Google.

This has led companies to move their ad spend over from Google to Amazon to accommodate this data. As pay-per-click advertising is Google’s largest source of revenue, this considered a significant element

Part of the intention of the new shopping platform is to get those companies (and that revenue) back.

How does it work?

Google have no plans to become a retailer – rather they’ll point you in the direction of those that are selling the products you want. Sellers will include the Google site itself (for Google products only), third-party retailers and in-store purchasing. Forbes have suggested that the site may even provide directions to physical brick-and-mortar stores.

On certain items they have included a ‘Buy with Google Guarantee’ – a service that will provide refunds to customers that don’t receive their items from the retailer or if they fail to deliver on time.

Companies featured on the site will largely include those that Google has worked with in the past. Some of the names include Walmart, Costco and Target.

How will they beat Amazon?

Although Amazon is considered the dominant force of search engines for shopping, Google has a slight advantage when it comes to data. They have access to a large number of user’s entire search histories, so will try to lure consumers in with personalised shopping recommendations based on their previous web activity.

Their new shopping platform is tidy and appears more organised than its rival’s site. Amazon still has the upper-hand when it comes to lower-priced products and impulse buy offers though.

The site is currently only available in the U.S however has gone through testing phases in France, suggesting Google’s global intentions for the network; their success in the U.S will likely determine whether the new shopping platform will be released to UK/globally. No date has been announced as of yet.

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