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Report: Google To Add 'Buy' Buttons To Mobile Search Results
An anonymous reader writes: According to a (paywalled) report in the Wall Street Journal, Google is stepping up its efforts to take some of the online marketspace away from Amazon and eBay. Soon, the company will start showing "buy" buttons alongside sponsored search results on mobile devices. So, for example, if you search for a particular pair of pants, and one of the top sponsored results is from Macy's, then Macy's can pay Google to slap a big "buy" button right there that will take you directly to a product page where you can pick sizes and shipping options before checking out. Google won't be selling the products, but they will be hosting the product pages — "a major and potentially risky strategy shift that will turn the company into more of an online transactional business, rather than simply a provider of links to information elsewhere on the Internet." The report says Google will be trying to streamline the purchasing process by taking the payment from the customer and then passing it on to the retailer, so users only need to input their credit card details once.
on the one hand, its a great idea. I love being able to do a search and get a phone number and click it, opens my phone app and dials. Its great when integration works well
on the other hand, I dont want it to be TOO easy to buy things i dont need. as long as its not a buy it now button linked to google wallet its a good idea.
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
run adblock on google.
Write a firefox/chrome/greasemonkey script to remove these buttons asap.
The last thing I need on a tiny screen with an almost useless browser is a link to buy things.
Thanks
I am often in the opposite situation: I am trying to buy something and being in a small market (the Netherlands) it can be tough to find a local source for things like electronic components or gun parts. Search results often only yield spec sheets or discussions on a forum, so I frequently add the word "kopen" (buy) to my search queries. It helps but only to some degree, and I too would like to see Google to treat the word "buy" (or the absence of it) with special care.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
Except that I personally know several people whose only Internet access is on their iphone/android phone/tablet. If this would make anything easier for them (and I know it's a big "if"), then it could be more of a good thing than just playing to instant gratification.
Couldn't quite make it all the way through to the end of the summary? I hear you bro.
First they fuck up my mobile experience by putting sites they think aren't good enough for mobile to be off the radar as far a search results go. They say it is because mobile pages are better. I say bullshit. Even on my phone, 90% of the time I'd rather see a full site with columns than a fucking mobile site. Most mobile sites are shit compared to the full site, and the size of screens are more than enough to handle it. Fuck off Google and just return search results without your fucking tailoring.
Now it seems they are OK with wasting screen real estate if it is for them to put 'buy' buttons on their searches. I say again, fuck off google.
Maybe time to try yahoo or duck duck for searches.
-- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
... go wrong? From TFS:
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.