Google users can shop while they mobile search

Google is making purchasing apparel and footwear as easy as entering a mobile search request.

The online titan is rolling out the ability for consumers to see clothes, shoes and accessories from across the web in one place with its search functionality on their mobile device, so they can browse different stores and brands at once. Search has always let users find links to different products and stores, but now when consumers search for apparel and accessory items like “running shoes” or “women’s leather belt,” Google identifies popular products from stores across the web and brings them together in a new search section. 

Shoppers can filter searches by style, department and size type, or look at multiple images of a product. And if they want to learn more or are ready to buy, they can visit a store’s website. Consumers will also have quick access to reviews.

To make this feature possible, Google indexes and organizes products from over one million online shops and updates this information regularly. Participating retailers appear in this new feature for free, the same as Google’s free offering for retailers to appear in its search index. 

“We’re excited to take this step toward making it easier for people to find products they need on search, and to connect people with great retailers across the web,” said Denise Ho, group product manager, Google, in a corporate blog post about the new search feature. “In the future, we’ll look to expand this feature to more queries, categories, devices and products.”

Google has been building out the ability for consumers to directly shop and make purchases from its site. In October 2019, Google introduced a number of new features in its paid Merchant Center e-commerce service to help retailers promote and sell their products, including multi-national and automated feeds. That same month, Google revamped its Google Shopping e-commerce experience in an effort to directly compete with Amazon Marketplace.