Google is testing a new feature on YouTube. The platform is adding product prices and recommendations under relevant videos to make the buying process easier.
According to The Information, Google is rapidly adding retailers to its Google Express marketplace — which will be renamed Google Shopping soon. This doesn’t mean Google will become a retailer itself, though. It seems like it will be friendlier to smaller retailers than Amazon. Amazon does offer a home to smaller retailers, but it also acts as its own major retailer. It competes with the retailers it’s hosting. Google has no plans to do that.
It currently isn’t known how widespread the new product recommendation feature on YouTube will be. It isn’t known which videos will have the feature, either. Google has recently tested it with YouTube videos featuring Nike productions. On those videos, users can scroll through the product recommendations from the brand. Once clicking, users will be sent to a Google Express page.
Can Google unseat Amazon with YouTube?
Google hopes that its plans with YouTube will ultimately unseat Amazon. It is possible thanks to Google’s strengths in text, image searching and YouTube videos to build up its shopping business. However, it isn’t going to be easy and Google knows it. “It’s really hard to unseat Amazon,” one former employee said. “Google’s trying to find angles that aren’t covered.”
YouTube actually tried something similar last year. YouTube allowed its creators to add links to their merchandise below their videos. Is it possible that this was foreshadowing the direction Google would be taking with YouTube? It’s quite possible.
Image courtesy cpcstrategy.com
