images (58)Internet giant Google is readying to take on e-commerce majors such as Amazon, Flipkart and Alibaba with a new “buy” button on its search pages. The button will allow consumers to directly buy products they are looking for from the Google’s search page.
At present, a query on Google’s search engine will lead you to a page which has offers from other e-commerce sites. For example, if one were to search for an iPhone, the Google search engine throws up various options on where to buy the device including links leading to Amazon or eBay. Once Google launches the ‘buy’ button, users will be able to buy the phone from the search page itself.
While it is still not clear on how Google plans to tie up the back-end logistics, the move is aimed at stopping users and advertising revenues from flowing into rival e-commerce sites.
“Users are slowly moving towards niche e-commerce sites while searching for specific things. For example, when looking for short duration accommodation, consumers generally go directly to aggregator sites like Agoda or Airbnb. But if hotel owners can directly sell on the Google search page then the search engine site will start driving e-commerce revenues,” said a market expert.
Google is likely to roll out the new feature first in the US in the second half of this year and then expand to other countries, including India.
The move will also give advertisers on the Google platform a more reliable matrix to measure the impact of its campaign. As of now the impact of advertising on Google is measured through click through rates with no real way of knowing if those clicks are leading to actual sales. A ‘buy’ button will ensure that the advertisers get full return on their investments.
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Source – TheHinduBusinessLine