Soon, we might see Google's dedicated shopping tab in India
Google could soon introduce a dedicated 'shopping tab' for India. The company is said to be in talks with Flipkart, Paytm, and Snapdeal for bringing the feature for Indian users. Sources familiar with the matter told Economic Times the tab could soon go into testing, and would be launched by the end of this year. Here are the details.
What is the shopping tab?
For the uninitiated, the shopping tab from Google is a dedicated tab that appears in search results alongside regular tabs like "All" and "News". The feature is already available in some countries and provides product listings, helping users search, view, and compare products. It fetches products from different marketplaces and offers more options than those seen as sponsored Ads under the "All" tab.
Google in talks with Flipkart, Snapdeal for Indian shopping tab
In order to provide Indian users a similar shopping tab, Google is said to be in talks with Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Paytm, two people familiar with the matter told ET. They said the feature has been in the works for months and is likely to go into testing pretty soon. By the end of this year, Google might launch it for all, they added.
Statement from Google
"We are always exploring options to help consumers find the products they want to buy more quickly and efficiently from local merchants," said a Google spokesperson while confirming the development to ET.
Local product discovery with Google search
One of the sources even stated that Google will also tap into its extensive network of local retailers - from high-end outlets to local grocery stores - to help customers discover the product they need. "They (Google) will partner with retailers of all sizes - it can tell the user where the product is available, is it available online, etc," the source stressed.
Google's online store coming next month
In order to drive more sales in India, Google is also said to be working towards launching its own online storefront for selling all Google-branded and licensed hardware products, just like Samsung and Xiaomi.
