Google Commerce Search launched for on-line retailers

Saturday 07 November 2009 | By Heidi Scott, Gosh! Media Copywriter

On Wednesday this week, Mountain View unveiled a new facility for retail sites – conveniently just in time to help them cash in on the festive season! Google Commerce Search is designed to make on-line shopping quicker and easier for consumers, which is likely to be music to retailers' ears.

In a post on the Official Google Blog, Google Commerce Search Engineers Alex Dovlecel and Nicholas Weininger explain, "Visitors spend an average of just eight seconds before deciding whether or not to remain on a website, so having a good search tool is important for turning visitors into buyers." Surprisingly, the average on-line retailer conversion rate is just three percent.

Google Commerce Search aims to simplify and improve search on retail sites, allowing users to sort data by category, price, brand or any other product attribute, as well as finding related items. The tool – which is hosted in the cloud, making spikes in traffic easy to handle – includes integral spell-checking and synonym facilities to help ensure consumers find what they are looking for, regardless of how they spell or identify products.

Google promises that the tool delivers "high quality, lightening-fast search" as well as integration with other Google tools, such as Google Analytics™ and Google Product Search™.

Google Commerce Search

The facility is designed to be quick and easy for retailers to implement and the tool is customisable, allowing sellers to highlight particular bargains, promote special products or connect related ones. The cost is based on the number of products in the range and the volume of searches conducted but an annual subscription could typically cost $50,000 (£30,000).

In a press release, Google cites customer Birkenstock USA, which has implemented Google Commerce Search on one of its on-line properties and found it made "an immediate impact". Google quotes Jeff Kilmer, COO of Birkenstock USA: "Google Commerce Search is improving user satisfaction -- bounce rates have decreased and we're seeing more return customers."

Back to industry news