
Google will launch buy buttons on its search-results pages  - walterbell
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/can-google-outsell-amazon-and-ebay-1431730741-lMyQjAxMTE1ODEwNTYxMTU2Wj
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nota_bene
Interesting how power is being consolidated all the time, creating stronger
monopolies: Facebook taking control over publishers by integrating their
content. Now Google taking control over suppliers by creating the sales
lead/conversion. Power consolidation just like what happened with the banks.

The end result means less competition, higher prices, less democracy, more
mass surveillance and population control/manipulation.

The Internet is becoming the opposite from what it was in its early days.

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ashishk
If the internet is becoming democratic, what explains the increasing number of
new, massive and independent internet businesses?

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s3r3nity
VC's funding $$ hoping that they will be bought by said monopolies in < 5
years?

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yc1010
psa: "Can Google Outsell Amazon and eBay?" is the title of the article (enter
the article page via google search if hit with a silly paywall / register
page)

Anyways ... ... in my opinion, there is no way Google can outdo Amazon, it is
not the "one click" button that makes me shop on Amazon but the great customer
support who go out of their way to help you.

Google on the other hand and "support" have never belonged in the same
sentence :( Seems like "providing support" to customers is to "low brow" for
Google, and I am an avid google product user both hardware and software.

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mrweasel
The support question is really interesting. If Google is the company that
takes the money, they will be the company that people would expect to handle
refunds, returns and general support. Unless Google is planning something new,
there's no way that they are geared to deal with the barrage of consumer
support issues that will appear.

I don't see why the majority of online resellers would be concerned by being
"reduced" to "back-end order takers". That's the easy part of the business,
while payment and customer support is the expensive and annoying part. Most
consumers are not loyal to any one online reseller anymore, Amazon excluded
perhaps.

If I was to pick where I would want to be in terms of online retail in the
future, I would want to be the business with the warehouse and just supply
eBay, Amazon, Google and any direct shipping customer I could find. That's
where the money is in the future, at least that's what I believe.

~~~
pcrh
So now Google is the Uber of Amazon...?

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sixQuarks
This too, will fail - just like almost all the other things Google has stuck
its nose where it doesn't belong.

~~~
Mahn
In fact if I recall correctly Google also experimented a couple years ago with
a "email signup" field in search ads, but that doesn't seem to have gone
anywhere. Not that it is surprising because if you are searching for
something, would you really "interact" with it before clicking the link? Save
for a few exceptions, like Google Now-ish results (i.e. information), it
doesn't make sense.

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Illniyar
They are already facing monopoly charges in various country, this will
definitely hasten the results of these.

I wonder what made them choose this time to reveal such a feature.

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marincounty
If Google improves their customer service, I would give them a shot. Their
domain name register seems to function well.

Personally, I don't have any loyality to Amazon. It's just another big company
who slowly raised their prices, along with spotty customer service.

I don't know why companies get to a certain level of success and change--
thinking customers won't notice? I saw this happen to Costco. They changed
their "complete customer satisfaction policy" and they did me a favor; I only
buy what I need from the store.

Not just electronics, but every product is affected. They still sell grey
market luxury watches--that you can't return, and if they break--Costco
Horologists repair them. The manufacturer wants nothing to do with watches
bought at Costco. Products bought at Costco are scrutinized by a low level
employee when you return an item. If you are a dramatic person the store
manager might overrule the counter person. It's just not worth the effort
anymore. I will take Costco to court when my Omega stops working--just on
principle. "It's a great deal sir. If it stops, just return it. It's a no
brainer. That's what's great about our store!"

So bring on the competition! I don't buy like I used to. My purchases right
now are for survival.

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commentzorro
> The buttons will accompany sponsored—or paid—search results...

Big Fail! The retailers that pay Google for the listings have little chance of
being the cheapest place to purchase. So this endeavor will degrade into
providing either sales for services where prices are meaningless or sales for
non-comparable high-markup items. Anyone remember Groupon?

