Shownotes
In this Fast Five Short we discuss Google Shopping has announced significant changes aimed at enhancing the online shopping experience through the integration of AI and more personalized features. The new updates include AI-generated briefs that help consumers make informed decisions when searching for products, like winter jackets suitable for specific climates. Additionally, the platform will offer dynamic filters for better product selection and a personalized deals page that simplifies deal discovery. The discussion highlights how these changes may alter consumer behavior by improving the search process and enabling more effective product discovery compared to traditional methods. The hosts also explore the implications for retailers, emphasizing the necessity of adapting to these evolving search dynamics to maintain competitiveness in the market.
The recent updates to Google Shopping reflect a significant shift in how consumers will approach online shopping. With the integration of AI technology, the platform now offers personalized shopping experiences that cater to individual needs. For instance, if a user searches for a 'men's winter jacket for Seattle,' Google's new features will provide an AI-generated brief highlighting critical considerations for purchasing based on the local climate. This contextual information enhances the shopping process, as it not only presents product options but also informs consumers about what to look for in their purchases. The episode intricately discusses how these changes will not only improve user experience but also redefine the competitive landscape of e-commerce.
As the conversation unfolds, the hosts dive into the mechanics behind these new features, including organized product categories and dynamic filters. These tools empower consumers to refine their searches based on specific preferences such as size and availability, transforming the way they navigate the online shopping experience. The introduction of a dedicated deals page is another exciting addition, allowing users to browse personalized offers that can influence their buying behavior. The episode emphasizes the importance of these innovations for retailers, urging them to adapt their online strategies to meet the new expectations set by these advancements.
Toward the end of the discussion, the hosts tackle the relationship between Google Shopping and Google Lens, comparing the potential impacts of both features. While Google Lens has been heralded for its visual search capabilities, it becomes clear that the enhancements to Google Shopping may have broader implications for the retail sector. The hosts argue that these updates signal a transformative period for online shopping, with the potential to redefine consumer behavior and expectations. Retailers are encouraged to embrace these changes, as failing to do so could result in losing ground to competitors who are quick to adapt to the new landscape.
Takeaways:
- Google Shopping is introducing AI-driven features to enhance the shopping experience for users.
- Users will benefit from personalized deal pages that help them find relevant discounts easily.
- Dynamic filters will enable shoppers to narrow down product searches based on specific preferences.
- The integration of credible source material alongside product searches will improve the shopping process.
- Retailers must adapt their strategies to align with changing consumer search behaviors on Google.
- Google's approach to shopping emphasizes discovery, potentially reshaping how consumers engage with eCommerce.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Amazon
- Target
Thanks to the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Avalara, Mirakl, Ownit AI, and Ocampo Capital for making this episode possible
For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/T_30gGTzlZ4
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Transcripts
Google Shopping announced some big changes yesterday.
Speaker A:According to a company blog post penned by Sean Scott.
Speaker A:Good alliterative name the VP GM of Google Shopping, a number of changes are coming, and here is how they work.
Speaker A:Say, for example, Ann, you were to search for men's winter jacket for Seattle.
Speaker A:And then Google will now provide an AI brief with the most important things you should know before investing in a new coat for this climate.
Speaker A:It'll show products recommended by sources from across the web and an explanation of why they're a fit for your needs.
Speaker A:You also see categories that give you a more organized view of the types of jackets to consider.
Speaker A:And for those who want to research more deeply on the web, you can also easily click through to relevant articles, which is a key point.
Speaker A:In addition, your results will also include dynamic filters that let you zero in on your preferences, like if you need a certain size or want something available near you.
Speaker A:Also important.
Speaker A:And finally, Ann, because I know you were curious, I know how big of a Google fan you are.
Speaker A:What about pricing?
Speaker A:I'm sure that's what's going on in your head.
Speaker B:Oh, yes, I want to know.
Speaker A:Shopping feature.
Speaker A:You want to know, right?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:The new Google shopping features not only include deal finding tools like price comparison, price insights, and price tracking throughout, but also a new dedicated and personalized deal page where you can browse deals for you by just clicking the deals link at the top of your page to explore.
Speaker A:All right, ad, since you started me off hot, I'm coming in hot and I'm going to put you on the spot this week.
Speaker A:This is not the official a and M put you on the spot question.
Speaker A:This is the walton put you on the spot question.
Speaker B:Junkyard version.
Speaker B:The junkyard version of the a and M put you on the spot.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Exactly right.
Speaker A:Last yes, I'm gonna hold your feet to the fire.
Speaker A:And because last week you said Google's lens announcement was a headline of the year candidate, so does this week's Google shopping headline rank higher or lower in your estimation than Google Lens did last week in terms of the long term impact on retail scale?
Speaker A:The floor is yours.
Speaker B:Yes, I would say.
Speaker B:Let me clarify.
Speaker B:I think that the component of the headline of the year last week with Google Lens was really more about how it's going to be a key component to changing how we search.
Speaker B:And that's really a combination of both using visual elements to search in conjunction with the ability to use text search in that whole search experience to use voice to help you search.
Speaker B:And so I don't think that they're mutually exclusive.
Speaker B:I think this is probably the headline, but, but lens is a key component of this announcement, too, because this, to me, this ultimately signals like we, Google is changing where we go to search when we're shopping for things.
Speaker B:And the key thing that's differentiated between Google and Amazon here is that Google is enabling discovery and like your, your seek and destroy mission, as you would say, Chris, to, to find that product and take it home with you.
Speaker B:And so I think that's what's fundamental here about what Google is doing.
Speaker B:I think it's just going to keep getting better as the algorithm learns more and the product descriptions get better and companies start to feed some of the content that's in these algorithms.
Speaker B:And I think lastly, this also makes a case again for own it or another platform that we've talked about on the show multiple times, because you, as the owner of the product, as the person selling this product, you have so much more data about that that you can start to feed into the shopping experience that will ultimately make that better for the consumer.
Speaker B:So I tell go to Google shopping.com, like, go down there right now.
Speaker B:Check it out.
Speaker B:It is so awesome.
Speaker B:I'm so excited for this, Chris, it's a long answer to your question, but that's how I feel about it.
Speaker A:So, so if I sum it up and you basically say this is the more important headline, this is the headline.
Speaker A:My, my hunch, though, in fairness to you, my hunch was you already thinking about this in terms of when you were discussing last week's headline for sure, just assuming this was going to come too, right?
Speaker B:Yes, correct.
Speaker B:Correct.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And shout out to our friends at Google shopping who are putting this on our former Target store, the future team, too.
Speaker B:We got some people over there that are helping make this happen.
Speaker B:So go check it out.
Speaker B:Drive traffic to the site.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Well, and I mean, I 100% agree because I actually, I actually think this trumps Google lens.
Speaker A:And the reason I say this, because Google, because it works with Google Lens, right?
Speaker A:I mean, Google Lens is a part of it in the broader context.
Speaker A:And it, like you said, it ultimately changes how consumers search and buy products regardless of how many people adopt Google lens for their searches.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So the macro impact of this is potentially bigger.
Speaker A:But I think, I think this is, this headline is also important for a number of other reasons because I think, like you mentioned, I think it signals and tells everyone, you know, what's coming next.
Speaker A:And so, first of all, like you, and there's four points I'd call out.
Speaker A:So first you've got national natural language based search, which is, we've talked about a lot.
Speaker A:It's coming.
Speaker A:But then the other interesting one that I alluded to when I was reading the headline, filtering searches down based on language versus preset filters divided by, decided by some random taxonomist, which has always been a crutch of e commerce.
Speaker A:It used to frustrate me like hell when I was running e commerce, because you can't keep pace with the amount of change that's happening in consumer trends by putting that on a taxonomist to chronicle and catalog and update your website.
Speaker A:So that's coming to you.
Speaker A:The third part is, um, which I think this part's really interesting.
Speaker A:It goes back to own it thing, too.
Speaker A:The compliment, the complimenting of the searches with credible source material.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Which is something that Google can probably do better than anyone.
Speaker A:And then, of course, lastly, the showing of the market availability of the products broadly, like where can you get them across all of retail, side by side alongside, you know, with price comparisons.
Speaker A:Like, that's pretty powerful stuff, and that's why Google here is very well positioned.
Speaker A:So, but the implications, I think the implications of this are also really important if you're a retailer brand listening.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Because if you don't have your site built to operate on what people are searching Google for and the questions they are asking Google, if you don't have your product information synced up to that and other people do, you are going to lose, in the long run.
Speaker A:You are going to lose ecommerce volume in the long run.
Speaker A:So that is something you really have to think about.
Speaker A:And you've got to start developing a strategy now to compensate for it.
Speaker B:Yeah, 100%.
Speaker B:Chris, the other question that I have to ask you is that I think bringing Google lens into this one more time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What do you.
Speaker B:Because Amazon, they've had visual search, right on the Amazon platform for how long?
Speaker B:Like, oh my God.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think, like probably ten years.
Speaker A:Close to ten years.
Speaker B:But don't you think it's interesting that Google, like, lens was kind of the first, like, that was something that they launched?
Speaker B:And I feel like Google Lens is so, so much more widely known than any other, like, individual brands visual search function.
Speaker B:So, like, this is another component of it that I think is interesting to kind of go backward into that and now, like, using our normal search language, like, we type something into Google to find products.
Speaker B:I just, I think it's so much more natural to, like, human behavior to search Google in this way.
Speaker B:And the results are so much better.
Speaker B:But what do you think?
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, I think that's your point.
Speaker A:I mean, the statistic for me was, like, 20% of.
Speaker A:What was it?
Speaker A:20% of product searches are using Google lens in their search, like, when people are searching products or using Google lens.
Speaker A:So I think that's really powerful.
Speaker A:But the other thing, and I think we all know at this point that you love Google lens.
Speaker A:I think it's like, it's like you think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Speaker A:I think.
Speaker A:I think that is clearly, clearly on the table.
Speaker A:So I don't know.
Speaker A:I don't think, I don't think we need.
Speaker A:I think the audience and I are very comfortable with your.
Speaker A:With.
Speaker B:You don't want to hear any more.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker A:I'm.