The world of search engines have now evolved from being a mere classified type resource to being a online marketplace of products wherein users can select, buy and even pay for the items.
However, Google is now venturing one step further into the buying cycle, and transforming into a curated platform of selected fashion products; especially created for those who wish to buy a dress but ain’t sure about the brand.
Welcome to the phase 2 of direct selling via search engine results, aided by artificial intelligence and some smart backend process of curation.
Stage 2 Of Direct Selling Via SERP: The Curated Way
Last year, we had reported how search results from Google has been jacked up from being blue colored hyperlinks to full-fledged mini-stores, capable of receiving payments on behalf of merchants.
The process was simple: You search for an item, say gym wear for men, and besides organic search results, the searcher also discovers paid listings by merchants, populated by several products from the same seller.
But now, Google has taken one big step towards influencing what kind of products the searcher actually wants, when no brands is mentioned. Gym wear for men by Adidas makes it pretty simple. But typing simple gym wear for men makes it a tad complicated process, because the buyer isn’t sure about which brand he is looking for.
Aiding such undecided buyers, Google has now decided to launch a new offering called ‘Shop The Look’, targeted for the lucrative fashion niche. This service basically curates the best fashion products, related with the search, and offers a whole new range of products, directly curated based on the search query.
As per the Google blog, the images powered by ‘Shop The Look’ would be curated by various blogs, retailers, publishers and brands, and ‘sourced from trusted partners such as LIKEtoKNOW.it., Polyvore and Curalate.’
How Will It Work?
In their blog, Google has given a preview of the process under ‘Shop The Look’.
Once the searcher keys in a term related with fashion, for example ‘cocktail attire’, Google will come up with an assortment of images of that dress. Now, as the searcher selects one particular dress, then a new window would be opened, wherein curated products related to that dress (or rather that image selected) would be shown.
Hence, besides the dress alone, other related products as showcased in the image selected, would be displayed such as matching purse, shoes and other accessories.
It seems Google will heavily rely on ‘trusted’ blogs and brands to showcase the best curated products related to fashion niche.
From then on, the process of selecting and buying is pretty much the same as before.
This new offering won’t cost any additional expenses for the retailer, as the advertisement cost would be derived cost per click basis itself.
Only mobile users based in Google can experience ‘Shop The Look’ feature, which would be slowly rolled out for rest of the world later.
Do you think that such features from Google have been intentionally created to take the end-user away from shopping apps such as Amazon, and encourage the user to directly shop from their own search result pages? Should Google transform itself from a search engine into a full fledged online marketplace?
Do share your views by commenting right here!
