Google has recently announced that it is launching the Google Cloud Retail Search service. This is a new tool that allows retailers to have their version of the Google Search engine. This version of the search engine is customized to their own digital requirements.
As per Google, this is being done to reduce the phenomenon of ‘search abandonment’ that has plagued the industry for some time now.
Search abandonment
This is a phenomenon where prospective customers will abandon searching for an item they need because they are having trouble finding it. Buyers cannot find the products they are looking for and turn their attention to another retailer for the same product.
Citing a recent Harris Poll survey that it commissioned, Google claims that search abandonment costs businesses almost $300 billion each year. 94% of consumers reported seeing irrelevant results when trying to look for a certain item. 85% of consumers complained about how it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to find the things they were looking for online.
Google’s solution
Google has claimed that ‘retail search’ is the solution to this problem. It makes use of Google’s machine learning and helps ‘convert purchase intent at scale.’
You can integrate this service into your website or applications to help Google better understand what you are looking for. The retail search uses Google’s well-known tendency to track its user’s activity across the internet, giving it the ability to present the best possible result for its users.
Srikanth Belwadi, Google Cloud Group Project Manager, has reiterated that there will always be challenges for retailers who don’t know how to rank themselves properly. He claims that ‘Google’s semantic understanding of query intent and product Knowledge Graph enables retailers to dramatically improve experiences for customers with learning-based search.’
Why this tool is important
It is incredibly unfortunate when an online retailer loses customers because they can’t find the product they are looking for, even if it is on the website.
Google can solve this problem with ‘retail search,’ making it incredibly important and useful to businesses everywhere.
Retail Search has already been approved by the department chain Macy’s. They believe that it offers them better CTR and revenue per visit. “Understanding our customer’s needs and being able to deliver results seamlessly is critical to providing an enjoyable shopping experience,” said Macy’s Director of Product Management, Jilberto Soto.