Google has added a product price search feature to its Google Lens visual search service. It will allow users to obtain additional information about products when purchasing them in a regular retail store, as well as find better deals.
Image source: Google
Starting today, this feature is available to Android and iOS device users in the US. Thanks to it, by photographing a product on a store shelf, the user will receive detailed information about the product and its prices in online stores and at nearby retailers, as well as about its stocks and reviews from other customers. In addition, the buyer will receive information about similar products available in that store.
According to Google, this feature was developed thanks to “significant advances in its AI image recognition technology” The service currently provides information on cosmetics, toys and electrical goods as soon as they go on sale at stores that share their inventory data with Google, such as Macy’s, Target and Walmart in the US, as well as Amazon. In the future, the geography of the service will expand.
“72% of Americans report using their smartphones while shopping in a store, and more than half say they have left a store without a purchase because they did not feel confident enough to make one,” noted Lilian Rincon, Google’s vice president of consumer shopping. According to her, the new feature will help customers get enough information about a product to make a purchasing decision on the spot. However, many may not like that the new feature requires users to share their location data with the Google app in order to determine which store the user is in.
Previously, Google launched a similar feature that allows users to search for products and check stock availability directly in the Google Maps service. The search giant is also expanding Google Pay’s layaway payment options with the Afterpay app, which lets you pay for items in installments over six weeks. It will also soon be possible to pay using Google Pay for the Klarna service, which allows you to pay for goods after they are delivered.
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