Google is making it easier to find deals by gathering the most popular promotions – presenting them in a new section within its Shopping tab.
Recent research has shown there has been a 50% surge in searches for “discount code” in the last year.
As such, Google knows that consumers are on the hunt for products that offer the best value, whereas businesses are looking for ways to maximize exposure for their products by offering deals and promotions.
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In light of this trend, Google is rolling out new tools in the US to bridge the connection between deal-seeking consumers, and businesses looking to promote their products, by making it easier for shoppers to find deals in the same Shopping tab as their original Google search.
In an announcement last week, Google introduced a new section called “Deals related to your search” to showcase deals to consumers in a seamless way.
As consumers search for their desired products, they will be presented with all available and relevant promotions, without having to leave the shopping experience. Anyone looking for “backpacks” ahead of the back-to-school season, for example, will be presented with a collection of competitively priced or discounted items from retailers across the web, all within the same Shopping tab.
Furthermore, Google has also announced that starting in October, shoppers on Google Search will be allowed to swipe through the most popular deals from major retail sales events, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Anyone looking for deals, discounts, and sales related to those occasions will see a new section within their search, highlighting relevant deals together with other related sales information.
In addition to the above, Google is also paving the way for businesses to sell on the platform by listing their deals for free.
After allowing merchants to list their items for free last year, Google is now allowing them to upload deals and promotions in the Merchant Center – also free of charge.
All promotions will be automatically surfaced for consumers to see within the Shopping tab. This feature will be available for all merchants, regardless of whether they advertise on Google or not.
Deals will also start to make their way out of the Shopping tab in the coming months, and start to appear on the main search results page as well. The search engine will base the decision of which offers to show on factors such as the discount itself, how popular a product is, how popular the site it is listed on, and so on.
This will allow businesses to have a greater opportunity to gain greater exposure, move inventory, drive sales, attract new customers and build brand loyalty during important shopping events and peak holiday season.
To further connect merchants’ offers with shoppers’ demands, Google is also exploring other ways to enrich the shopping experience, apart from just showcasing deals and discounts.
Google has been beta-testing an integrated shopping experience since last year, where YouTube users can tap and view the credibility of trusted creators, in order for consumers to make more informed purchases through the video-sharing platform itself and product reviews.
This feature has only been available through videos on demand so far, but Google is now bringing it to live streams with a handful of popular creators and brands. It allows viewers watching a supported live stream on YouTube, to browse and shop products in real-time. Google will issue further updates on this feature later this year.