Google enhances e-commerce search tool

Friday, April 1, 2011 - 12:17 by David Aiken

Search giant Google has updated the e-commerce tools which it offers to various retailers providing safe shopping online.

The Commerce Search function from Google is being improved with a number of features which users will already be used to seeing from the firm's main search site.

The search as you type feature, which updates the results in real time to let users see a list of products which the engine thinks they may be looking for, even before they have completed the entire name, is a key addition.

The new Commerce Search feature will also allow users to see a spell check of their input so that they can search for a product name for which they may not know the precise spelling. Product recommendations are being added so that consumers can see similar goods to the ones they are browsing, instantly helping to enhance the experience of safe shopping online across multiple sites.

Google Commerce Search is now in its third iteration and the search giant said that it was aiming to make online shopping feel even more interactive and relevant for consumers all over the world, while simultaneously making retailers' sites easier to use, according to the Independent.

A number of sites are taking advantage of the new Commerce Search feature, including Forever21, HealthWarehouse and BabyAge.

Experts are predicting that the latest update to Commerce Search will be the first in a line of improvements which will eventually allow for NFC (Near Field Communication) integration. In short, consumers will be able to scan hotspots on the high street and use these to search for products online as well as in store.

This could eventually lead to the end of e-commerce searching as we know it, with users not relying on search terms but on tags and location-based searches.