- Google Shopping has a new update with AI-based product context, personalized recommendations, and a deals page.
- The update combines features familiar to Amazon and Pinterest users for a more streamlined shopping experience.
Google Shopping just got an AI makeover — and the platform is looking more and more like a mix of Amazon and Pinterest.
The new update incorporates AI to provide a more streamlined shopping experience that helps users find inspiration and make purchases more conveniently. The update starts rolling out in the US on Tuesday and will continue over the coming weeks, according to an announcement.
The revamped Google Shopping provides users with an AI Overviews-like brief of the top things to consider when looking up a product, as well as recommendations. For example, a quick search of "men's winter jacket for Seattle" generates a response about factors to consider like water resistance or windproof materials.
The updated Google Shopping homepage features a personalized feed filled with shoppable products and videos based on your preferences. The shopping feed considers inputs from Google surfaces including your shopping activity on Chrome, Search, YouTube and Discover, a Google spokesperson told Business Insider.
It also allows you to pick up where you left off in your last shopping session after being away. Users can also turn off personalized results in their "Shopping preferences."
The new update will also include a personalized "Deals" page where users can explore deals picked out for them. The new section is an addition to other available tools tools like price comparison, price insights, and price tracking.
Google said the shopping service shows the latest information about pricing, shipping, and local availability from its inventory of 45 billion product listings.
Many shoppers look to Pinterest or social media for product ideas and then head to Amazon or specific retailers to make their purchases. Google's mission is to be a helpful spot for people who value price, convenience, and variety, regardless of where the purchase is ultimately made, a Google spokesperson said.
"We're not our marketplace, we're not retail, we're an ecosystem, and so for us, we want to be essential for every part of that journey," Lilian Rincon, VP of product for Google Shopping, told Business Insider.
That could look like many things, such as someone looking for Halloween inspiration like they typically would on Pinterest. Or, it could be to browse the best deals on a specific product, like a tea kettle or hiking boots.
"We want to also be able to be the best place for you to start those shopping journeys because again, we can do both," Rincon told BI. "We can show you the best of what Gemini and the Google shopping graph have a recommendation for you."
Google previously introduced a virtual try-on feature to Google Shopping and recently extended the tool to dresses. Earlier this year it released style recommendations, allowing users to swipe left or right on styles to get personalized suggestions.