March 15, 2010

Google now takes on shopping – search available for stuff in stock before going to the store

by Shayne Rana

Google is still in the process of slowly but surely taking over the world. Their latest way of establishing their web supremacy is via the avid shoppers. Mobile users can log into a new ‘Product Search’ function that Google has set up that will keep you informed of items that are available in stock in your local shop. So in an effort to make the web more usable and the users a little lazier, before you waste time heading down to the local store for something that might not be in stock, you can Google it first. Near the item name under the Shopping section of Google’s ever increasing directory of search services, a blue dot is used to distinguish items that are available in stores near you. At the moment stores like Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm are on board. The set up will also you updated on the prices of the items you’re looking for.

If you have an iPhone, Palm WebOS phone, or any Android-powered device, and you’re in the US, just go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on the “more” link, and then select “Shopping.” Or look for the “Shopping results” section in Universal Search results when you search on Google.com.
[Switched]