Google now lets US retailers list products on Search; gets cut on sales

Google has introduced a new program- Shopping Actions that will allow the US retailers like Target, Walmart, and Home Depot to list their products across Google Search, in its Google Express shopping service, and in the Google Assistant app for smartphones and on smart speakers, like the Google Home. In exchange, the search engine gets a cut for each purchase.

The move gives customers an easy way to shop products on the Google Assistant and Search with a universal cart, whether they’re on mobile, desktop or even a Google Home device.

So far, companies like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Costco Wholesale, 1-800-FLOWERS, and Ulta Beauty have signed on for the new program, as first reported by Reuters.

Google's pitch to retailers is a better chance to influence shoppers' purchasing decisions, a move that is likely to help them compete with rival Amazon. Google hopes the program helps retailers capture more purchases on desktop, cell phones and smart home devices with voice search. This will also allow retailers to increase shopper loyalty by supporting things like 1-click re-ordering, personalized recommendations, and basket-building, says Google.

Google started the new program after observing that mobile searches asking where to buy products had risen by 85 percent over the past two years, the company noted in its blog post. Also, retail partners saw the average size of a customer’s shopping basket increase by 30 percent after joining the program, adds the search engine giant. The program is open to US retailers of any size.