Google Wants Retailers To Help Them Turn Search Queries Into Actual Purchases

Consumers use Google to search for products—and Google knows it. Now, with the introduction of Shopping Actions, the company wants to turn those search queries into actual purchases—while remaining on good terms with retailers, announced Google’s Daniel Alegre, president, retail and shopping, during Las Vegas retail conference Shoptalk on Tuesday. Shopping Actions allows consumers to buy items through either Google Assistant or sponsored shopping ads that show up in search results. The partnership is free, and retailers are only required to share the portion of a sale, if one occurs. Through Google Express and Google Assistant, consumers can save their payment information and add items to their cart either from the web or through a Google Home and checkout. So far, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Costco, Ulta Beauty and 1-800 Flowers are part of the new program. Ulta Beauty has seen a 35-percent increase in value size since joining the program, while Target has seen a 20-percent increase in basket size, said Alegre. The Shopping Action program is not different from what retailers already use to run sponsored ads. “We want your brands to be front and center,” Alegre said. “We know in the end that, even though the consumer is curious, demanding and impatient, what they’re really asking for is a deep personal experience with you and with your brand.” Read more at Adweek.