Google Shopping Takes Aim At Amazon With New Seller Initiatives

Google has offered another focused attempt to compete with Amazon’s online portal, this time accelerating its ‘Shopping’ web platform to better capitalise on e-commerce spikes during the COVID19 pandemic.

The tech giant announced it’s implementing new initiatives to onboard more sellers and products to its e-commerce site, including waving sales commissions and use of Shopify instead of Google-branded systems.

Google recruited former PayPal executive, Bill Ready, this year to accelerate Google Shopping in the battle against Amazon.

The cost of listing items on Google Shopping has now further diminished, with a suite of new incentives to onboard sellers starting in the US in recent months, before rolling-out later internationally.

The news follows reports that whilst many consumers are using Google for product searches, they are deferring to Amazon for the final purchase.

Commissions on Google Shopping reportedly sit under 15%, according to product type.

The threat of Amazon’s advertising business has been spurned by e-commerce growth, with Google hoping to combat the later to protect its primary advertising engine.

Google’s battle to establish ‘Shopping’ as a credible competitor to Amazon is said to have involved many attempts, dating back to a seven-year battle.

Back in 2013, the company etched ‘Google Shopping Express’ with free same-day delivery in selected US areas for a subscription fee, before the scheme was eventually ditched.

Google Express was soon axed in favour of Google Shopping, which integrates stored credit card details for shopping without leaving the search engine giant’s hub.