The technology giant and the largest search engine Google is reportedly going to launch its ‘Shopping’ tab in India. This would allow users to search for products to buy and directing them to merchant websites or e-commerce platforms for product listings.
The tab is currently in working and in a few months, the Shopping tab will be piloted soon, prior to a full-fledged launch before the end of the year.
“We are always exploring options to help consumers find the products they want to buy more quickly and efficiently from local merchants,” a Google spokesperson stated.
Google has been in talks with e-commerce players such as Flipkart, Paytm Mall and Snapdeal to join together in the company’s shopping tab initiative. Besides large e-commerce websites, Google is also expected to tap into its large network of registered small and medium enterprises or SMEs to assist users to discover products they want.
Google will partner with retailers of all sizes — it can tell the user where the product is available, is it available online, etc. Also, the company will first understand Indian shopping trends through the Shopping tab.
The US online retail market is dominated by the powerful network built by Amazon through its Prime programme, which analysts believe is difficult to overcome by any other tech company.
At present, Google runs a Shopping tab in over 30 countries and company. It was last week that the company planned to launch an online storefront for its branded hardware products next month. Google’s entry into product search comes at a time when the firm is seen to be losing market share to Amazon on product searches in the US