News of this feature first broke out last December but a recent report from the Wall Street Journal says it will finally launch “in the coming weeks.” The Verge reports the buttons will be trialled on a “small percentage” of all searches to begin with and will be displayed only in mobile search results.
The buttons will be positioned inside the Google AdSense product placements that already adorn Google’s search results. They will complement Google’s price aggregating service, Google Shopping, but will let you buy things directly, rather than from the seller’s own site.
Clicking a “buy” button reportedly takes you to a Google-hosted purchasing page. You will be able to specify shipping details, product specification and any other purchasing details before actually ordering the item, directly from Google.
You will be able to use the credit card information stored in your Google account. This is likely to reassure users who have previously questioned the security of buying things from a seller’s own website. Your personal details will be stored only with Google and supplied to the seller only for shipping.
The feature will bring more competition to the likes of Amazon by enabling people to buy things directly from search results, streamlining the online shopping experience. The original reports of the new buttons also suggested Google is intending to create another weapon to fend against Amazon with in the form of its own shipping service. Similar to Amazon Prime, the company will partner with select retailers to offer free two-day shipping on purchased items in return for an annual fee.
Google has yet to officially confirm the development of “buy buttons” but with reports of a launch in the “coming weeks” we can expect to see them appearing imminently. For now, they will only show up on mobile pages — because most people search on phones — but they may possibly expand to the desktop if the feature is successful.
