‘Where Can I Buy?’ Google Makes Push To Turn Product Searches Into Cash

Alphabet’s Google routinely fields product queries from millions of shoppers. Now it wants to take a cut of their purchases, too. The U.S. technology company is teaming up with retailers including Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Costco Wholesale, and Ulta Beauty. Under a new program, retailers can list their products on Google Search, as well as on the Google Express shopping service, and Google Assistant on mobile phones and voice devices. In exchange for Google listings and linking to retailer loyalty programs, the retailers pay Google a piece of each purchase, which is different from payments that retailers make to place ads on Google platforms. Google’s pitch to retailers is a better chance to influence shoppers’ purchasing decisions, a move that is likely to help them compete with rival Amazon.com. Google hopes the program helps retailers capture more purchases on desktop, cell phones and smart home devices with voice search — the next frontier for e-commerce. The previously unreported initiative sprang from Google’s observation that tens of millions of consumers were sending image searches of products, asking “Where can I buy this?” “Where can I find it?” “How can I buy it?” “How do I transact?” Daniel Alegre, Google’s president for retail and shopping, told Reuters exclusively. Over the past two years, mobile searches asking where to buy products soared by 85 percent, Alegre said. Read more at CNBC.