
'Buy button' to be added to Google search results - michaelx386
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32915175
======
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.

~~~
Kenji
I don't understand why that's a problem for google. How do you find and
install apps? Oh right - through google play!

~~~
calbear81
\- No e-commerce sites charge money on any app stores for users to download
their apps since they want the largest audience possible shopping them.

\- Google Play only takes a cut of in-app purchases of digital goods and not
physical things. Most e-commerce companies would not survive if Google took a
30% cut of everything sold since margins in many industries are in single
digits (electronics/computer parts for example are generally less than 5%).

~~~
sreyaNotfilc
Correct, but I think Kenji's point is that you are buying a Google phone
(Android) to have the privilege to download apps from Google Play.

Android market share is at 79%.
[http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougolenick/2015/05/27/apple-
ios...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougolenick/2015/05/27/apple-ios-and-
google-android-smartphone-market-share-flattening-idc/)

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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.

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

In some cases this can be caused by the background colors chosen for ads being
perfectly eliminated by cheap laptop LCDs at slight vertical angles. The pale
yellow or blue completely disappears to white. I wouldn't be surprised to
learn that A/B testing of colors stumbled upon the perfect color to disappear
into a cheap LCD screen ;-).

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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.

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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.

~~~
meesterdude
> but most people are wrong about something every day

Speak for yourself! I am always right. :)

> There will be clicks. Revenue will be steered

All that really matters. As long as it doesn't negatively impact search, i
expect i'll be able to ignore it and others will be able to use it and life
will be swell.

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mangecoeur
wow. The European Commission is going to love this (context
[http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/15/google-
fac...](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/15/google-faces-
antitrust-action-from-eu-competition-watchdog))

------
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.

~~~
josefresco
Exactly, just the the click-to-call and other ad extensions. If the CAC goes
down small to mid-size retailers won't care.

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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

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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.

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

