Google announced a number of new(ish) shopping and maps/local features yesterday, a lot of them using AI features that Google likes to tout. There are glanceable AI-generated reviews, swipe left/right shopping, AI-generated product ideas, local trip ideas, recommendation lists for locations, and more.
The truth is, most of these we covered as tests in the past, and now they are life - so you probably saw most of these. So I will recap them quickly.
(1) Glanceable place highlights by Google's AI, it can show you review summaries (Bing has this by the way). You can see photos and reviews that summarize what people love about a place, like a restaurant’s famous tacos. And when you’re checking out a restaurant and scrolling through photos of the food, Google will use AI to help you identify what a dish is called and show you helpful information based on the menu — like what it costs, if it’s popular, and even if it’s vegetarian or vegan.
Note: SGE did this with business panels for a while:
Seeing SGE within a Google Business Profile.
— Garrett Sussman ☕️🔎 (@garrettsussman) March 27, 2024
The placement on mobile is under the business name and local navigation elements.
This seems completely unnecessary to me.
Local Brands will need to stay on top of this.
cc: @rustybrick @mblumenthal @DarrenShaw_ @Miriam_Ellis_ pic.twitter.com/G3jjpUPg3g
(2) Updates to lists: Google is making it easy to discover helpful lists from top sites like The Infatuation, Lonely Planet, Open Table, and the New York Times. To find the perfect dining spot, you can also check out new top, trending, and gem restaurant lists - which are based on what Google Maps users are interested in or loving in their area.
(3) New ways to customize your lists: You can choose the order places appear in your list - so you can organize them chronologically like an itinerary, or rank which ones you liked best. In your lists, you can also link to content from your social channels - so your friends and family know why it made a spot on your list in the first place.
(4) Trip ideas using Google SGE: You can ask Google for trip ideas and get a sample itinerary that pulls together daily suggestions for attractions and dining, along with an overview of flight and hotel options – bringing together helpful information from across the web, plus all the reviews and photos that people have shared with Google for more than 200 million places around the world. To get started, just enroll in Search Labs and enable Search Generative Experience (SGE).
Currently, ads do not trigger in this experience as we try to better understand how the trip ideas functionality works in an experimental environment. But Google said it will explore different places where ads will show up for people who have enabled Search Generative Experience in Search Labs, including in dedicated ad slots throughout the results page and when you’re asking follow-up questions. As with Google's other travel tools on Google Search, the trip ideas feature lets you connect directly with travel companies to make your bookings. Google told us they do not intend to become a booking site.
(5) Style recommendations that you can swipe - Google started rolling out a new feature to help you get more personalized results in some of our most popular shopping categories. Starting with signed-in U.S. shoppers using mobile browsers and the Google app, when you search for certain apparel, shoes or accessories items — like “straw tote bags” or “men’s polo shirts” — you’ll see a section labeled “style recommendations.” There, you can rate options with a thumbs up or thumbs down, or a simple swipe right or left, and instantly see personalized results.
We covered this in January:
(6) Generate products to search in Google Shopping (as we covered in February) - We developed AI image generation for shopping so you can shop for apparel styles similar to whatever you had in mind. Say you want a new spring jacket, but haven’t found the right match. After searching for your query — like “colorful quilted spring jacket” — tap “Generate images” to see photorealistic images that match your vision. Once you’ve found one you like, just click it and scroll to see shoppable options. Anyone in the U.S. who has opted into Search Generative Experience (SGE) within Search Labs can access this experiment on the Google app or mobile browsers.
(7) Favorite brands - which we covered over a year ago seems to be live. Google said, "You can also specify what brands you like. U.S. shoppers searching for apparel, shoes or accessories on mobile browsers, desktop or in the Google app can select brands they’d like to see more of while shopping with Google. Once you’ve selected them, you’ll see options from those brands right away. Tap the three dots next to the "Get style recommendations" section and look for personalization options in the “About this result” panel to manage your preferences."
(8) Translate your screen with Circle to Search, or what’s around you with Lens
(9) Use multisearch in Lens as your personal tour guide
Oh and as Glenn Gabe pointed out, the Google Shopping Graph now has 45 billion products.
Google's Shopping Graph now contains 45 billion products (March 2024 data) -> Get more personalized shopping options with these Google tools
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 27, 2024
Google covers newish functionality in the SERPs, including style recommendations, favorite brands, AI image generation for shopping, and… pic.twitter.com/epDd4Oomqa
And some more...
Forum discussion at X.
