Is Google trying to gradually take down Amazon? Google recently unveiled a "Buy Now" button on its sponsored search listings, and will soon introduce a feature that will allow users to buy products showcased in YouTube videos.
The new feature is called "TrueView for shopping," and will show an ad banner beneath the video ad. These banners will direct users to a place where they can buy the products shown in video ads.
"TrueView for shopping enables advertisers to scale the manual process of connecting individual products with individual videos," Google said in a statement.
"Thanks to the first-ever integration of the Google Merchant Center into video ads, advertisers need only connect their campaign with a Merchant Center feed to dynamically add products to their in-stream videos, customized for each user through contextual and audience signals like geography and demographic info."
The feature was just announced at the Ad:Tech San Francisco meeting, and will first be tested by companies like Wayfair and Sephora. Wayfair said these new ad types generate three times the amount of revenue as standard video ads.
Google has struggled somewhat to monetize YouTube since buying the video streaming platform. While its introduction of video ads was certainly a way to build the platform's revenue, it's really nothing compared to the company's expectations.
Google is reiterating that the new feature will not allow users to buy things directly from YouTube. Instead – much like the "Buy Now" button – users will be directed to retailer websites.
The feature is part of Google's newly enforced emphasis on mobile. The company recently released a report saying that in 10 countries, searches on mobile have become more common than desktop searches. Mobile e-commerce is one area that still has a long way to go, and it makes sense that Google wants to be at the forefront of the changes.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether other retailers can use the new feature as effectively as Wayfair apparently has. Google tried to produce shoppable ads already back in 2012, but that venture didn't end up going anywhere.
TrueView for shopping looks to be different, though. Google said the new feature will "connect the dots" between the micro-moments, such as using a smartphone to learn something new and then buying a product based on that information.
