Transcript
Chris (0:00)
Google is augmenting AI shopping with conversational search, agentic checkout, and an AI that will call stores for you. Oh my gosh. According to TechCrunch, one of the updates will allow consumers to ask shopping questions in AI mode, Google's conversational search feature that lets you use natural language queries in a chatbot style interface. The responses will be tailored to your question and the chatbot will provide images when you need visual inspiration alongside other details like price reviews and available inventory. Notably. And Google is also rolling out a Gentic checkout within Google Search in the US including in AI mode. The feature is currently compatible with merchants like Wayfair, Chewy and Select Shopify stores. And finally, another AI feature that I'm sure all of you have been waiting for is that the AI will also call businesses on your behalf to find out if a store carries a product, how much it costs, and whether there are any promotions. The feature is rolling out in the US for specific categories like toys, health and beauty products, and electronics. And to use the feature, you can search for products near me and then use the option let Google call. Oh my God. And I'm, I have no doubt you are buying these new features versus selling them because you are the biggest Google fan that I know. I mean, you talk about it all the time on this show. So instead of asking you that question, I'm going to put you on the spot this week because this is. Okay, put you on the spot question. Here it is. As Google AI expands its capabilities into conversational shopping, agentic checkout, and even calling stores for the customer, how does this reshape the role of traditional human led E commerce models for consumers? And how should retailers rethink their platform strategies accordingly?
Guest Expert (1:43)
Whoa. Well, I don't know that they have to rethink their platform strategies. I feel for retailers because they still on top of Google, which they have to make sure that they're, they're set up to support that search. It's still where the majority of people are going. They now have to also figure out how they're going to appear on these other large language search platforms as well, and how they're going to facilitate buying through these platforms. So I think retailers need to, need to pause and look at this the same way that when E commerce came online they started approaching their strategy. It requires a complete, it requires new teams, it requires new thinking. We just talked last week about having a chief AI officer or, or you know, how you're going to have one, right? Or not having one and integrating that into all of the positions within your organization. So I think, I think it really is time for retailers to think about that total shopping journey and how that's going to shift. But Google is still a go to destination that has the best cumulative information about who we are as people inside and outside of our shopping. They still have data about us from our emails, from our maps, from our calendars, from all these other places. And so I think that actually Google is just, has just kind of surpassed some of the other search platforms because they still, if, if anyone's going to be that really true personal assistant for us. I think that these new tactics that Google is adding to their platform are just going to further continue people using Google the same way that they're using Google for just regular search today. People are familiar with Google again. They're, they're already interacting with it in so many places in their lives that I actually think that we could see Google take a pretty big leap here over OpenAI's chatgpt at with the addition of some of these things. I will say the calling feature, however, that's one that I'm not, I'm not buying. If you've ever worked in a retail store, you barely get to the people searching for products who are human beings calling from other stores to see if you have a product in stock. So I don't think that they're going to get the participation from the retailers that, that they're pitching in this. But, but everything else, the large language search, being able to have and buy things directly in your search results, that kind of stuff to me I think is really going to continue to solidify Google as a player in this space in direct competition with Perplexity and OpenAI. But Chris, you're the Google skeptic sometimes so I'm prepared for a good rebuttal from you on this one. What are your thoughts?