Photo: Google
Will Google’s AI-Driven Search Captivate Shoppers?
Google last week introduced a new set of features—called Search Generative Experience—that deliver AI-generated summaries to queries similar to ChatGPT as well as follow-up prompts to engage users in a conversation. The technology promises more accurate, relevant and expansive information when shopping via Google search.
“With generative AI in Search, we can help you understand the full picture when you’re shopping, making even the most considered and complex purchase decisions faster and much easier,” wrote Elizabeth Reid, Google’s VP & GM, search, in a blog entry. “When searching for a product, you’ll get a snapshot of noteworthy factors to consider and products that fit the bill. You’ll also get product descriptions that include relevant, up-to-date reviews, ratings, prices and product images.”
The technology giant’s new generative AI shopping technology is powered by Google’s Shopping Graph, which has over 35 billion product listings with 1.8 billion refreshed every hour.
Follow-ups to the original search query take on a conversational style without the need for repeating context or details already provided. “You’ll also find helpful jumping-off points to web content and a range of perspectives that you can dig into,” Ms. Reid wrote.
Search ads will continue to appear in dedicated slots throughout the page, promising to be “distinguishable from organic search results.”
The search feature will initially only be available in the U.S. through a waiting list system. The platform is described as an ongoing “experiment” with improvements expected over time.
“There are known limitations with generative AI and LLMs [large-language models], and Search, even today, will not always get it right,” wrote Ms. Reid. “We’re taking a responsible and deliberate approach to bringing new generative AI capabilities to search.”
Jungle Scout’s Q1 2023 Consumer Trends Report found 56 percent of consumers start their online product searches at Amazon with search engines at 42 percent and Walmart at 37 percent. Gen-Z respondents started their online product searches on TikTok more than on any search engine.
Microsoft unveiled an AI-driven Bing search engine in February using OpenAI’s GPT technology.
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What is the potential of generative AI as a shopping search tool? Will Search Generative Experience increase Google’s share of shopping searches?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Mark Ryski
Founder, CEO & Author, HeadCount Corporation
Melissa Minkow
Director, Retail Strategy, CI&T
There’s a reason Microsoft, Google, Amazon and others are investing Billions is generative AI – improving online shopping is one of them. While online shopping has come a long way, it still has a long way to go. Finding relevant products, sorting through the ads and fake reviews to get to the information shoppers need. While there’s no doubt that there will be fits and starts as generative AI is applied to the online shopping experience, it has the potential to significantly improve the experience.
I see it as an attempt to keep up with trends. Any generative AI solutions produce generic recommendations based on the expectations of the average sample. In other words – it is 100% probability to get in recommendations for an irrelevant product for the client.
The only way around this natural limitation – training in a specific context (product, online shopping cart).
In my opinion – such solutions work well at the level of a single DTC brand with AI assistants trained in the behavioral and product data store and competitors. This is what we working on specifically.
Rather than sifting through endless pages, this might help hone the search results to make them more digestible and easy to understand for shoppers. And it’s a needed evolution for Google as well, given all the recent AI developments. It will be interesting to see how this works!
Potential is unlimited- especially given the constant influx of new and up-to-date data that continues to be collected by Google. As a shopping search tool there is an opportunity to engage customers who are already searching for products. The fact that Google is looking through the lens of “where the customer is” vs imposing their own purchasing funnel is notable and smart. As for market share, the key will be whether the experience is easier, faster and less encumbering than Amazon’s many recommendations and “people like you bought this” presentation- which given the excess of advertising might not be too high a bar for a good experience. In addition, there may be multiple competitors such as Microsoft et. al. biting at the heels for generative shopping. Too early to tell the outcome with such a highly fragmented and invested playing cast. We’ll have to wait and see. Google will capture some market share initially just by being in the game.
Generative AI search capabilities are limitless for the big 3 engines (Amazon, Google, Microsoft), which is why they’re pumping billions of dollars into these products. Benefits include speed, refinement, promotion, experience and much more. Over time it will get better but do expect a few wonky moments early on.
This is extremely exciting. I’ve spent hours trying to find reception-worthy dresses for my bride friends, and their criteria are quite specific. Search capabilities like this would have saved me a ton of time and had more precision.
Generative AI has the potential to bring out both the best and worst results for retailers. As shoppers become more comfortable with prompting AI for results, this will amplify the speed and quality of their ability to find and compare products to find the best choices. Many lesser known brands will find themselves inside a shopper’s consideration set more than their marketing budgets would previously have allowed. The question is whether these retailers will have the ability to keep up with demand, and whether more established retailers will fork over big bucks to weight AI in their favor.
AI search is changing the playing field. All of a sudden accurate information will begin to replace marketing hype. I don’t think this will give Google much of an edge because every search engine and shopping site will use AI’s power to increase its effectiveness.
With generative AI in search, shoppers will get the full picture when shopping online, from a snapshot of noteworthy factors to consider, products that fit the bill, product descriptions that include relevant, up-to-date reviews, ratings, prices and product images. New Search Generative Experience (SGE) is built on Google’s Shopping Graph, which has more than 35 billion product listings and makes it the world’s most comprehensive dataset of constantly-changing products, sellers, brands, reviews and inventory out there.
Generative AI search capabilities are limitless and the big 3 search engines (Amazon, Google, Microsoft), will continue to pump billions of dollars into these products and make search more & more refined.
Online stores are desperate to find some magic pill now that it’s clear that online selling (exclusively) is a very difficult business — as shown by the very large number of Warby Parker stores.
It is sad, though, to see a desperate grasp at generative AI instead of slowing down and studying the flesh and blood people who shop online. There is little potential here — it’s certainly not going to suddenly invigorate online shopping with high profits (or any profits in most cases).
The error, it seems to me, is the age old error of separating body and mind. Digital enthusiasts love to do this — imagine people without bodies and so many digital efforts are designed for disembodied minds. It’s a very bad error. Online sales can only thrive by fully embracing the biological reality of shoppers — not some etherial online intelligence which somehow “magically” makes it work.
I think GAI will be a game changer for he big players and will help deliver on customization, convenience, better curated “selection” and more focused pricing parameters. But, I think this could bee a boon for smaller retailers in helping them create more immersive content, and better integration of content, community and commerce on the majority of sights that under-perfrorm on conversions.
Not yet. This is a technology that has a long way to go to make it ready for prime time. Most consumers don’t want charts to improve their shopping experience. They also don’t want to wade through a set of ads or focused products that are not what they are looking for. These often reflect too much marketing rather than just a simple search delivery of the product the consumer is looking for.
In my opinion, the platform a customer chooses to search for a product, whether it be Amazon, TikTok, or Google, depends on the type of product they are looking for.
For instance, on TikTok, the product search is mostly related to fashion items that are motivated by certain influencers who are either using or promoting a particular brand. Similarly, when customers search for anything on Amazon or Walmart, it is generally a low-end commodity product that doesn’t require much research and the intention is to buy them instantly.
On the other hand, if customers are looking to gain knowledge about something, irrespective of which generation, Google remains the de-facto search engine. Google’s “Search Generative Experience ” will only enhance the user experience and make the search results easy, however, it’s too early to make a judgment since they are still experimenting.