Search giant Google has introduced shopping ads on its image search, through which ads related to products will show on the platform, where they can be clicked to buy. The company adds that an advertiser’s ad will automatically be eligible to show on image search under its Google Search Network.
The reason for this was that mobile shopping searches had increased by 30% in 2015, according to Jonathan Alferness, VP of product management of Google Shopping. Alferness added that top searches on the platform included product images, as well as queries like “what’s the price of this” and “where can I buy it”.
Advertisers’ inventory now searchable on Google
Google states that searches with “local intent” meaning phrases that include places, zip codes or “near me” have doubled in the past year. Now, advertisers can show a “buy online pickup in store” by adding a store pickup link to its Google-hosted product page, a page which appears after a user clicks on the local inventory ad. Google is also making its advertisers’ inventory searchable on Google in its Knowledge Panel.
Google Express to cover 120 million users in the US
Google Express, the company states, has over 50% orders coming in through mobile. Google Express is where users can order local grocery and other household items and get them delivered. The company will keep rolling out its overnight delivery service. Google says that it will launch to over 23 million users in Texas and some parts of its surrounding states, taking the total coverage to 120 million users in the US.
Related Google developments:
– Last month, we reported that Google was looking to add a label telling its users whether or not an app contained an ad on the Play Store. This label was in addition to existing designations of in-app purchases on the Play Store.
– In April, YouTube introduced a new 6 second video ad format dubbed Bumper ads, to increase the reach and frequency of ads on mobile devices. Earlier this week, YouTube introduced a new messaging feature called native sharing, where users can then invite friends into conversation threads.
Revenues from advertising:
Google’s advertising revenues stood at $18.02 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 (Q1 2016), increasing 16.18% from $15.51 billion in the same period last year. Alphabet Inc, the holding company of Google, posted net profit of $4.2 billion Q1 2016, a rise of 19.68% from $3.52 billion in the same quarter last year. The company also reported revenues of $20.26 billion, an increase of 17.38% from $17.26 billion in the same period last year.
Also read:
– Google reverses decision to ban extensions as ad blockers on Play Store
– On CCI on Google: the problem is when an intermediary also provides content & services
Image Credit: Chris Wetherell under CC BY 2.0
