Jan 27, 10:27 PM EST Newsletter Signup BusinessTechnologyWorldNationalMedia & CultureOpinionSportsLuxury Business By Adam Levy 01/27/19 AT 7:38 PM Google has seen Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) eat away at its share of online product searches over the past few years, and that's bad for Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) business.Google has been introducing new products and partnerships over the last few years to make it easier for online shoppers to find and purchase what they're looking for straight from Google. Walmart (NYSE:WMT) was one of its earliest partners for its Google Express and Google Shopping Actions service. But the big-box retailer recently pulled out of both products.The move is telling of Walmart's ambitions and success in growing e-commerce, as well as how valuable (or not so valuable) Walmart sees Google as a partner.Why is Walmart dropping Google?Walmart removed itself from Google Express … [Read more...] about Walmart Just Dealt Google’s Online Shopping Push a Big Blow
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Online shopping is on the rise among kids. Here’s how brands are courting them.
Nine-year-old Isabella Colello shops for just about everything online. She scrolls through the Amazon app on her phone at least once a day. She gets ideas from YouTube, searches on Google for things she wants and sends the links to her dad: Pink swimsuits, earrings, Adidas sneakers (he said yes); Gucci backpack (no). "It's like, I'll put 18 items in my cart, and we'll end up getting like one or two," said Isabella, who lives in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, and spends about $100 a month online. "It's so much better than going to the mall because there aren't that many places to shop anymore."Children and preteens are more connected to the internet than ever before, which means retailers are looking for new ways to market -- and sell -- directly to young shoppers on their phones, tablets and laptops. Gone are the days of blanket television ads, marketing experts say. Instead, companies are flocking to Snapchat, YouTube Kids and other mobile apps to reach children with personalized … [Read more...] about Online shopping is on the rise among kids. Here’s how brands are courting them.
EU sees signs of improvement after Google antitrust shopping case
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - It is too early to judge Google’s (GOOGL.O) reforms in response to an antitrust case over online shopping, though there are signs some rivals are benefiting, Europe’s competition chief said on Monday. The logo of Google is pictured during the Viva Tech start-up and technology summit in Paris, France, May 25, 2018. REUTERS/Charles Platiau The comments from European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager come amid calls from Google’s competitors for her to take more drastic action against the world’s most popular internet search engine. A year after being hit with a record 2.4-billion-euro ($2.8 billion) fine by the European Commission, Google has yet to create a level playing field, according to rivals such as British comparison shopping sites Foundem and Kelkoo and others in the travel search, digital mapping and publishing markets. FILE PHOTO: European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference at … [Read more...] about EU sees signs of improvement after Google antitrust shopping case
Carrefour, Google sign online shopping tie-up in France
PARIS (Reuters) - France’s largest food retailer Carrefour (CARR.PA) is partnering with Alphabet (GOOGL.O)’s Google to make groceries available on the U.S. search engine’s dedicated shopping site or through voice-assisted devices, the companies said on Monday. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Carrefour is seen on shopping trolleys at the Carrefour Lingostiere in Nice, France, March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo The Carrefour and Google tie-up, which will go live in early 2019, comes amid a shake-up in France’s competitive food retail market, as rivals also make a big push into online shopping. Casino’s upmarket Monoprix chain in March became the first French retailer to agree to sell products through U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon. Google has been pushing to roll out new shopping services to retailers like Walmart (WMT.N), in a move seen as helping them compete with Amazon. This marks the first partnership in France. The deal with … [Read more...] about Carrefour, Google sign online shopping tie-up in France
This ex-Googler has big plans to kill the ‘Amazon experience’ of online shopping
Neha Singh Obsess is an online virtual shopping platform that lets users shop in a discovery-oriented context. Its founder, ex-Googler Neha Singh, hopes to create the e-commerce platform of the future, where users will some day shop as online avatars in lush, 3D environments. "You can't sell fashion and art the same way you sell toothpaste," says Neha Singh. "But on the internet, that's exactly what we do: Toothpaste is sold the same way as beautiful clothes." Singh is the founder of Obsess, a new online shopping platform that seeks to reinvigorate what she describes as the "boring and tedious" business of online shopping. Singh hopes to usher in a new era of online retail, where currently, items are almost always presented as two-dimensional thumbnails on a uniform scroll-through grid. "In real life, shopping is a form of entertainment," says Singh. "It's driven by discovery and inspiration and fun. That's not happening online." Singh, a self-described fashion fanatic … [Read more...] about This ex-Googler has big plans to kill the ‘Amazon experience’ of online shopping