Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) announced the introduction of its Search As You Type, a free and stand alone feature of the Google Commerce Search that should help boost revenue and conversion rates for merchant websites.
According to Jennifer Dulski, Product Management Director of Google Shopping, the Search as you type is easy to implement, and the pilot program is now available to US-based AdWords advertisers for free, to up to 25 million searches per year. Google will charge licensing fees in excess of the set limitation.
The new search feature is more engaging and allows internet users to find the products and services they are looking for easier and faster. When implemented into a merchants’ website, the Search As You Type provides product suggestions accompanied by images for the search query typed by an internet user.
The search functionality of a merchant’s website is supposedly even better, because it implements Google’s predictive suggestions and product results, increasing the odds that the customer will find the product they want and make a purchase immediately, without surfing other websites.
According to Dulski, the Search As You Type is just one of the many undertakings of the search engine giant to help increase the traffic and profitability of the online retail industry. Google is continuously investing and developing tools and new technologies such as the Google Trusted Stores and Google Commerce search to empower retailers, help them connect with customers and maximize their revenue.
Google plans to further expand the Search as You Type pilot program to include online retailers over the next coming months.
Internet users and website owners interested in testing how the Search As You Type works may click the Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) or Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) websites to check it out. Both companies serve as Google’s launch partners for the new search tool.
