Google Taking Steps to Expand E-Commerce Platform

Google is taking steps to bolster its e-commerce business.

Today, at its annual I/O conference, Google has outlined its latest steps in boosting e-commerce activity, including an enhanced partnership with Shopify and updated product search tools based on screenshots and images, reads a new report from TechCrunch.

First off, Google has announced that it’s expanding its partnership with Shopify, which will provide new, simplified processes to enable Shopify’s 1.7 million merchants to get their products featured across Google “in just a few clicks”.

“This new collaboration with Shopify will enable merchants to become discoverable to high-intent consumers across Google Search, Shopping, YouTube, Google Images and more,” the tech giant explains.

Google hasn’t provided specifics on the updated process as yet, but the idea is that it will enable Shopify merchants to easily list their products within Google’s shopping surfaces, which have seen a significant increase in interest over the past 12 months.

Additionally, Google is looking to push that further with the evolution of what it calls its “Shopping Graph.”

“The Shopping Graph is a dynamic, AI-enhanced model that understands a constantly-changing set of products, sellers, brands, reviews and most importantly, the product information and inventory data we receive from brands and retailers directly — as well as how those attributes relate to one another,” reads the press release. “With people shopping across Google more than a billion times a day, the Shopping Graph makes those sessions more helpful by connecting people with over 24 billion listings from millions of merchants across the web. It works in real-time so people can discover and shop for products that are available right now.”

Reads Google’s full press release over at its blog.