Pointy
Mark Cummins (left) is the CEO of Pointy.
- Google is giving shoppers the power to search local stores' inventory with a new tool called See What's In Store.
- Shoppers can use the tool to search for a specific product and see which local stores have that item in stock, or to search the entire inventory of a single store.
- "If you knew something was available one block away, or that you could pick it up in a local store without having to wait for shipping, you might not choose to order it online," said Mark Cummins, CEO of Pointy, a UK-based tech firm that is partnering with Google to power SWIS.
Google is launching a tool that will let shoppers find out what products are in stock at stores near them.
Shoppers will be able to access the tool, called See What's In Store (SWIS), from Google's main search bar and within Google Maps.
Shoppers can use the tool to search for a specific product and see which local stores have that item in stock, or to search the entire inventory of a single store.
SWIS will give brick-and-mortar stores a powerful new weapon in the battle against Amazon, said Mark Cummins, CEO and cofounder of Pointy, a UK-based tech firm that is partnering with Google to power SWIS.
"E-commerce wins a lot because people don't know where to find stuff," Cummins said. "That's a major disadvantage local stores have to Amazon.
"If you knew something was available one block away, or that you could pick it up in a local store without having to wait for shipping, you might not choose to order it online."
Here's how SWIS works:
Type the name of a store into Google's search bar or Google Maps, and select the location closest to you. A second search bar will appear in the Google Knowledge Panel - the box of information running along the right side of the main search page - where users can search that store's inventory.
Shoppers can also type the name of a specific product into Google's search bar, and the results will show which local stores have that item in stock.
Stores must pay to show up in those results, which are called Local Inventory Ads.
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