'Buy button' to be added to Google search results

[Grue3]

1. Control the vast majority of web-search share ensuring the vast majority of users go through your site before buying anything.

2. Introduce a buy button for the cooperating retailers, which is obviously displayed at the very top of search results.

3. Other retailers have to either pay Google or be pushed down in search results below the retailers who have a buy button.

This is why Google Search desperately needs some real competition.

Oh, and the next step? Buy button right in your browser (Chrome). Buy stuff just by typing into OmniBar(TM)!

[jeswin]

Actually, there is no lack of competition. Google is in big trouble and it knows.

Many e-commerce companies are going mobile-first. Here in India, some are abandoning the web altogether. If native mobile apps dominate e-commerce, Google's biggest revenue stream could face its biggest challenge in many years.

[tantalor]

Headline contradicts the story, which says the button will be added to the "shopping ads that appear alongside search results", not the search results themselves. Big difference.

(I work for Google)

[mrweasel]

A large number of people can't tell ads from search result, so the difference isn't that big in in practice.

I am really interested in how this is going to work. Unless the buy button sends people directly to a reseller Google is going to drown in customer support. Trying to make customer understand that despite you buying this one Google, you didn't buy it from Google is going to be VERY tricky. Likewise handling returns could be a major pain.

From the business side I just hope that payments are going to be more business friendly than PayPal.

[martokus]

Probably part of AdWords Shopping campaigns. The products are already uploaded to Google, why not add another field for direct cart link? Google sends the click there and gets a cut based on the existing AdWords tracking.

Seem quite easy to me and all the merchants would be on board.

[natch]

So, is it kind of like this, where Google takes some of the profit and doesn't worry about whether the goods are pirated or not, because hey, profit!

http://www.reddit.com/r/google/comments/37i2f4/someone_pirat...

Or... are you still "good" Google? Is this guy getting any help from Google yet?

[SimplyUseless]

The philosophy is similar to Amazon 1-Click, reduce friction to buy however the impact to retailers may not be all positive. Retailers will loose control on up-sell and cross-sell, instead the control will go to the Search platform.

[TazeTSchnitzel]

1-Click doesn't hurt sellers! It works for the Marketplace too. It just means you don't need to go through the full wizard thing.

[SimplyUseless]

I think "Buy button" will not be forced to the retailers instead it will be an opt-in.

However think of these scenarios from the retailer's point of view:

1. Where Google button shows up on all links except my link, would it come under pressure and cave in; since all my competitors are selling by "Buy button".

2. Google may give priority to links who provide Buy button "integration". Pending anti-trust looming, this could put retailers under pressure as well.

3. Given an option to the end users to buy from Google vs. buy from another website, the end users could start seeing Google as a good brother.

Even though it could be an opt-in, it does not look like an opt-in when it comes to monopolies.

[TazeTSchnitzel]

It's brilliant, really. Impossible to compete with. Now customers have bought from your competitor without having to leave the results page. They won't even click on your site now.

[meesterdude]

I struggle to think of something where I would buy it from the search result alone. Even if it is the thing I want, I'm going to price shop or at least click through for details. Then again, I am not the internet, so maybe some people will be really happy with this. I doubt I'll ever use it.

[jws]

You might believe that if the worlds largest, most sophisticated searcher of the Internet has scoured all vendors and displayed the exact item you want, and they have a buy button on the best price, that it is the best price.

You'd probably be wrong, but most people are wrong about something every day. There will be clicks. Revenue will be steered.

[mangecoeur]

wow. The European Commission is going to love this (context http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/15/google-fac...)

[josefresco]

This as an extension to AdWords doesn't seem like a horrible idea. For some retailers, allowing Google to complete an order might be a net improvement over their own store/experience. For the small to medium size etailers, Google most likely can offer superior experience and an "order is an order" assuming the net profit is reasonable.

[prophead]

Advertisers will also opt-in to using it as a way of differentiating their Ad from competitors.

Google and Advertisers have figured out that constant small changes to search Ads prevent "PPC Blindness" and every new extension gives a temporary incremental lift in regular ad clicks.

[raheemm]

Conversion is not based simply on an ad and a buy button. Consumers like to read reviews, price shop, check out images, specs, have questions answered, etc. How is a 3 line ad supposed to compress all that? By adding a buy button?!!

This will most likely go the way of google wallet

[mahouse]

I hope the EU has something to say about this, because it sounds outrageous.

[anthony_romeo]

I'm just curious why Google is implementing this now, given that the basis of the EU antitrust case was due to its relationship with online retailers.

[dazc]

The headline does sound outrageous but it doesn't describe what's actually going to be happening. But, worry not, The EU will have something to say regardless.

[TazeTSchnitzel]

Anti-trust suits on both sides of the Atlantic in three, two, one...