Tag Archives: shopping

Shop what’s trending this holiday season

It’s that festive time of year when we start planning holiday gatherings, swap out our iced lattes for hot cocoa, and once again, try to find the perfect gifts for our loved ones.

To help you zip through your holiday shopping this year, we’re sharing the Google Shopping Holiday 100 — a list of what we predict will be the 100 most popular categories and products in the U.S. for the holiday season, according to Google searches.

This year’s Holiday 100 reflects the realities many of us are still living in. Home equipment like coffee makers and fitness gear continue to make the list. But we’re also seeing more items that suggest people are getting out more, like fragrances and beauty products.

Spanning ages and interests, the 2021 trending categories include tech, gaming, kitchen gear, sports and fitness, health and beauty, fragrances, and toys and games. Let’s explore a few of them.

The year of the fragrance

Looking for a new fragrance to add to your collection? You’re not alone. This year, perfumes and colognes are trending higher than in years past. It could be that we’re all after a new signature scent, or maybe we’re sending hints to those who have been in their (less than fresh) loungewear for too long. Ranking highest on the list includes Christian Dior Sauvage Eau De Toilette Spray, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540, and Versace Men's Eros Eau de Toilette Travel Spray.

Brewing at home

While coffee makers are no stranger to the kitchen gear category, we saw an uptick in the number and types of at-home coffee makers on this year’s list. So no matter how your loved ones take their cup of joe, you’re sure to find something for them. The top coffee maker is the Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine, followed by the Keurig K-Mini Single Serve Coffee Maker.

Gaming goes big

Gaming has become an increasingly popular category over the years, and 2021 is no exception. At the top of the gaming consoles list is the Nintendo Switch OLED, and top trending games include NBA 2K22, FIFA 22 and Metroid Dread. And you won’t just find the latest and greatest gaming products. This year, we saw 80’s and 90’s nostalgia play out with high rankings for the Nintendo 64 (ranked #6 in gaming consoles) and the Game Boy (ranked #8 in gaming consoles).

This holiday season, Google Shopping is helping you find deals, track the price of a specific item, check a product’s availability and more. Whether you’re looking for your family, your best friend, or even yourself, we hope you find the perfect gift with Google.

Ads API apps must complete OAuth verification

Last year, the OAuth scopes used by the following Ads APIs were classified as sensitive, requiring developers to complete the OAuth verification process for their Google Cloud projects:
  • Google Ads API & AdWords API
    • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/adwords
  • Content API for Shopping
    • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/content
  • DoubleClick Bid Manager API
    • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/doubleclickbidmanager
Any remaining OAuth clients using the above scopes that remain unverified may have their existing credentials revoked and lose access to the above APIs if they do not complete the OAuth verification process as soon as possible.

Certain apps may qualify for one of the exceptions for app verification. If your application meets any one of those exceptions, follow the steps listed for the appropriate use case. If not, you must complete OAuth verification to continue using these Ads APIs.

If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us using any of the following support options: Adam Ohren, Google Ads API Team

BigCommerce merchants can now reach new customers across Google

Since our earliest days, Google has been devoted to democratizing information and creating helpful resources that are accessible to as many people as possible. We've since extended that ethos to online shopping, building an open and free ecosystem that connects merchants and customers around the world. Starting today, we are making it even easier for BigCommerce’s 60,000 merchants to show up across Google.

BigCommerce works with small, medium and large merchants around the world. With this new integration, BigCommerce merchants of all sizes will be able to easily list their products for free on Google, create ad campaigns and review performance metrics directly in their BigCommerce store. This also means BigCommerce merchants can now integrate with Google’s shopping features across Search, Shopping, Image Search and YouTube.

The future of online shopping is open and free, and by teaming up with partners like BigCommerce we are expanding the opportunities for a global audience of merchants and shoppers.

BigCommerce merchants can now reach new customers across Google

Since our earliest days, Google has been devoted to democratizing information and creating helpful resources that are accessible to as many people as possible. We've since extended that ethos to online shopping, building an open and free ecosystem that connects merchants and customers around the world. Starting today, we are making it even easier for BigCommerce’s 60,000 merchants to show up across Google.

BigCommerce works with small, medium and large merchants around the world. With this new integration, BigCommerce merchants of all sizes will be able to easily list their products for free on Google, create ad campaigns and review performance metrics directly in their BigCommerce store. This also means BigCommerce merchants can now integrate with Google’s shopping features across Search, Shopping, Image Search and YouTube.

The future of online shopping is open and free, and by teaming up with partners like BigCommerce we are expanding the opportunities for a global audience of merchants and shoppers.

How AI is making information more useful

Today, there’s more information accessible at people’s fingertips than at any point in human history. And advances in artificial intelligence will radically transform the way we use that information, with the ability to uncover new insights that can help us both in our daily lives and in the ways we are able to tackle complex global challenges.

At our Search On livestream event today, we shared how we’re bringing the latest in AI to Google’s products, giving people new ways to search and explore information in more natural and intuitive ways.


Making multimodal search possible with MUM

Earlier this year at Google I/O, we announced we’ve reached a critical milestone for understanding information with Multitask Unified Model, or MUM for short.

We’ve been experimenting with using MUM’s capabilities to make our products more helpful and enable entirely new ways to search. Today, we’re sharing an early look at what will be possible with MUM. 

In the coming months, we’ll introduce a new way to search visually, with the ability to ask questions about what you see. Here are a couple of examples of what will be possible with MUM.

Animated GIF showing how you can tap on the Lens icon when you’re looking at a picture of a shirt, and ask Google to find you the same pattern — but on another article of clothing, like socks.

With this new capability, you can tap on the Lens icon when you’re looking at a picture of a shirt, and ask Google to find you the same pattern — but on another article of clothing, like socks. This helps when you’re looking for something that might be difficult to describe accurately with words alone. You could type “white floral Victorian socks,” but you might not find the exact pattern you’re looking for. By combining images and text into a single query, we’re making it easier to search visually and express your questions in more natural ways.

Animated GIF showing the point-and-ask mode of searching that can make it easier to find the exact moment in a video that can help you with instructions on fixing your bike.

Some questions are even trickier: Your bike has a broken thingamajig, and you need some guidance on how to fix it. Instead of poring over catalogs of parts and then looking for a tutorial, the point-and-ask mode of searching will make it easier to find the exact moment in a video that can help.


Helping you explore with a redesigned Search page

We’re also announcing how we’re applying AI advances like MUM to redesign Google Search. These new features are the latest steps we’re taking to make searching more natural and intuitive.

First, we’re making it easier to explore and understand new topics with “Things to know.” Let’s say you want to decorate your apartment, and you’re interested in learning more about creating acrylic paintings.

The search results page for the query “acrylic painting” that scrolls to a new feature called “Things to know”, which lists out various aspects of the topic like, “step by step”, “styles” and “using household items."

If you search for “acrylic painting,” Google understands how people typically explore this topic, and shows the aspects people are likely to look at first. For example, we can identify more than 350 topics related to acrylic painting, and help you find the right path to take.

We’ll be launching this feature in the coming months. In the future, MUM will unlock deeper insights you might not have known to search for — like “how to make acrylic paintings with household items” — and connect you with content on the web that you wouldn’t have otherwise found.

Two phone screens side by side highlight a set of queries and tappable features that allow you to refine to more specific searches for acrylic painting or broaden to concepts like famous painters.

Second, to help you further explore ideas, we’re making it easy to zoom in and out of a topic with new features to refine and broaden searches. 

In this case, you can learn more about specific techniques, like puddle pouring, or art classes you can take. You can also broaden your search to see other related topics, like other painting methods and famous painters. These features will launch in the coming months.

A scrolling results page for the query “pour painting ideas” that shows results with bold images and video thumbnails.

Third, we’re making it easier to find visual inspiration with a newly designed, browsable results page. If puddle pouring caught your eye, just search for “pour painting ideas" to see a visually rich page full of ideas from across the web, with articles, images, videos and more that you can easily scroll through. 

This new visual results page is designed for searches that are looking for inspiration, like “Halloween decorating ideas” or “indoor vertical garden ideas,” and you can try it today.

Get more from videos

We already use advanced AI systems to identify key moments in videos, like the winning shot in a basketball game, or steps in a recipe. Today, we’re taking this a step further, introducing a new experience that identifies related topics in a video, with links to easily dig deeper and learn more. 

Using MUM, we can even show related topics that aren’t explicitly mentioned in the video, based on our advanced understanding of information in the video. In this example, while the video doesn’t say the words “macaroni penguin’s life story,” our systems understand that topics contained in the video relate to this topic, like how macaroni penguins find their family members and navigate predators. The first version of this feature will roll out in the coming weeks, and we’ll add more visual enhancements in the coming months.

Across all these MUM experiences, we look forward to helping people discover more web pages, videos, images and ideas that they may not have come across or otherwise searched for. 

A more helpful Google

The updates we’re announcing today don’t end with MUM, though. We’re also making it easier to shop from the widest range of merchants, big and small, no matter what you’re looking for. And we’re helping people better evaluate the credibility of information they find online. Plus, for the moments that matter most, we’re finding new ways to help people get access to information and insights. 

All this work not only helps people around the world, but creators, publishers and businesses as well.  Every day, we send visitors to well over 100 million different websites, and every month, Google connects people with more than 120 million businesses that don't have websites, by enabling phone calls, driving directions and local foot traffic.

As we continue to build more useful products and push the boundaries of what it means to search, we look forward to helping people find the answers they’re looking for, and inspiring more questions along the way.

How AI is making information more useful

Today, there’s more information accessible at people’s fingertips than at any point in human history. And advances in artificial intelligence will radically transform the way we use that information, with the ability to uncover new insights that can help us both in our daily lives and in the ways we are able to tackle complex global challenges.

At our Search On livestream event today, we shared how we’re bringing the latest in AI to Google’s products, giving people new ways to search and explore information in more natural and intuitive ways.


Making multimodal search possible with MUM

Earlier this year at Google I/O, we announced we’ve reached a critical milestone for understanding information with Multitask Unified Model, or MUM for short.

We’ve been experimenting with using MUM’s capabilities to make our products more helpful and enable entirely new ways to search. Today, we’re sharing an early look at what will be possible with MUM. 

In the coming months, we’ll introduce a new way to search visually, with the ability to ask questions about what you see. Here are a couple of examples of what will be possible with MUM.

Animated GIF showing how you can tap on the Lens icon when you’re looking at a picture of a shirt, and ask Google to find you the same pattern — but on another article of clothing, like socks.

With this new capability, you can tap on the Lens icon when you’re looking at a picture of a shirt, and ask Google to find you the same pattern — but on another article of clothing, like socks. This helps when you’re looking for something that might be difficult to describe accurately with words alone. You could type “white floral Victorian socks,” but you might not find the exact pattern you’re looking for. By combining images and text into a single query, we’re making it easier to search visually and express your questions in more natural ways.

Animated GIF showing the point-and-ask mode of searching that can make it easier to find the exact moment in a video that can help you with instructions on fixing your bike.

Some questions are even trickier: Your bike has a broken thingamajig, and you need some guidance on how to fix it. Instead of poring over catalogs of parts and then looking for a tutorial, the point-and-ask mode of searching will make it easier to find the exact moment in a video that can help.


Helping you explore with a redesigned Search page

We’re also announcing how we’re applying AI advances like MUM to redesign Google Search. These new features are the latest steps we’re taking to make searching more natural and intuitive.

First, we’re making it easier to explore and understand new topics with “Things to know.” Let’s say you want to decorate your apartment, and you’re interested in learning more about creating acrylic paintings.

The search results page for the query “acrylic painting” that scrolls to a new feature called “Things to know”, which lists out various aspects of the topic like, “step by step”, “styles” and “using household items."

If you search for “acrylic painting,” Google understands how people typically explore this topic, and shows the aspects people are likely to look at first. For example, we can identify more than 350 topics related to acrylic painting, and help you find the right path to take.

We’ll be launching this feature in the coming months. In the future, MUM will unlock deeper insights you might not have known to search for — like “how to make acrylic paintings with household items” — and connect you with content on the web that you wouldn’t have otherwise found.

Two phone screens side by side highlight a set of queries and tappable features that allow you to refine to more specific searches for acrylic painting or broaden to concepts like famous painters.

Second, to help you further explore ideas, we’re making it easy to zoom in and out of a topic with new features to refine and broaden searches. 

In this case, you can learn more about specific techniques, like puddle pouring, or art classes you can take. You can also broaden your search to see other related topics, like other painting methods and famous painters. These features will launch in the coming months.

A scrolling results page for the query “pour painting ideas” that shows results with bold images and video thumbnails.

Third, we’re making it easier to find visual inspiration with a newly designed, browsable results page. If puddle pouring caught your eye, just search for “pour painting ideas" to see a visually rich page full of ideas from across the web, with articles, images, videos and more that you can easily scroll through. 

This new visual results page is designed for searches that are looking for inspiration, like “Halloween decorating ideas” or “indoor vertical garden ideas,” and you can try it today.

Get more from videos

We already use advanced AI systems to identify key moments in videos, like the winning shot in a basketball game, or steps in a recipe. Today, we’re taking this a step further, introducing a new experience that identifies related topics in a video, with links to easily dig deeper and learn more. 

Using MUM, we can even show related topics that aren’t explicitly mentioned in the video, based on our advanced understanding of information in the video. In this example, while the video doesn’t say the words “macaroni penguin’s life story,” our systems understand that topics contained in the video relate to this topic, like how macaroni penguins find their family members and navigate predators. The first version of this feature will roll out in the coming weeks, and we’ll add more visual enhancements in the coming months.

Across all these MUM experiences, we look forward to helping people discover more web pages, videos, images and ideas that they may not have come across or otherwise searched for. 

A more helpful Google

The updates we’re announcing today don’t end with MUM, though. We’re also making it easier to shop from the widest range of merchants, big and small, no matter what you’re looking for. And we’re helping people better evaluate the credibility of information they find online. Plus, for the moments that matter most, we’re finding new ways to help people get access to information and insights. 

All this work not only helps people around the world, but creators, publishers and businesses as well.  Every day, we send visitors to well over 100 million different websites, and every month, Google connects people with more than 120 million businesses that don't have websites, by enabling phone calls, driving directions and local foot traffic.

As we continue to build more useful products and push the boundaries of what it means to search, we look forward to helping people find the answers they’re looking for, and inspiring more questions along the way.

New ways to find shopping inspiration on Google

Shopping online is as much about inspiration and discovery as it is about the final purchase. People are shopping across Google more than a billion times a day, and we have been working to make those experiences even more helpful by expanding your options. We’re here to help you find new ideas, discover unique products or get the best value from the widest possible range of merchants — from large retailers, marketplaces and well-known brands, to local stores and new direct-to-consumer companies. 


We’ve made a number of changes over the last couple of years to improve your shopping experience, including giving you more choice when you shop on Google. For example, we’ve made it free for merchants to list on Google and made it easy for sellers on Shopify and other digital platforms to  start selling on Google, so their products and inventory are discoverable for shoppers.


And today, we’re adding new tools to make it easier for shoppers to browse for inspiration, find new products and brands and ultimately find what they’re looking for in a more visual way. 


Shop in the moment with Google Lens 

We know that inspiration can strike at any time. Whether it’s an image that you see online, a photo you saved on your phone or something in the real world that catches your eye, Google Lens makes the products you see instantly shoppable. 

Starting soon, iOS users will see a new button in the Google app to make all the images on a page searchable through Google Lens. Now, finding this lamp or that shirt (and ones like it) is just a tap away.

We’re also bringing Lens to Chrome on your desktop. Soon, you will be able to select images, video and text content on a website with Lens to quickly see search results in the same tab — without leaving the page you’re on.

Looking at ApartmentTherapy.com from the Google app for iOS, tap the “search images” button at the bottom in order to see information about the products on the screen, as well as similar products.

Shop in the moment with Lens in the Google app for iOS

Window shop right from Search 

Starting today, we’re making it easier to browse for clothing, shoes and accessories on mobile right from your Search results. For example, when you search for “cropped jackets,” we’ll show you a visual feed of jackets in various colors and styles, alongside other helpful information like local shops, style guides and videos. From there, you can easily filter your search by style, department, brand and more – and when you find something you like, you can check out ratings, reviews and even compare prices to get the best deal. 

This new experience is powered by Google’s Shopping Graph, a comprehensive, real-time dataset of products, inventory, and merchants with more than 24 billion listings. This not only helps us connect shoppers with the right products for them, it also helps millions of merchants and brands get discovered on Google every day.

A search for “cropped jackets” shows a visual, scrollable results page with products and helpful information like styling guides

Browse and explore options for cropped jackets on mobile right from Search

Search in-store inventory from home

Shoppers are increasingly starting their in-person shopping experience online. Before heading out the door, you can find local stores that carry the products you want right from Search. And starting today, when you are looking for products like “kids bike helmet” or even a specific brand, you can select the “in stock” filter to see only the nearby stores that have it on their shelves.

A search for “kids bike helmet near me” using the new “in stock” filter shows retailers in San Francisco with kids bike helmets on their shelves, clicking into Mike’s Bikes of San Francisco.

You can now use the “in stock” filter to see only the nearby stores with a specific item on their shelves.

Showing in-store availability is especially valuable for small businesses, helping them attract new local customers. For example, a mother-daughter duo in Greenville, South Carolina discovered local toy store Hollipops Fine Toys and Gifts after searching for “squishmallows” near them. Check out their story (and find out what a "squishmallow" is).

Hollipops Fine Toys and Gifts got discovered by shoppers looking for Squishmallows, a plush toy
10:25

Throughout the entire process — from the first spark of an idea, to the final purchase — Google is helping to breathe new life into shopping experiences.

New ways to find shopping inspiration on Google

Shopping online is as much about inspiration and discovery as it is about the final purchase. People are shopping across Google more than a billion times a day, and we have been working to make those experiences even more helpful by expanding your options. We’re here to help you find new ideas, discover unique products or get the best value from the widest possible range of merchants — from large retailers, marketplaces and well-known brands, to local stores and new direct-to-consumer companies. 


We’ve made a number of changes over the last couple of years to improve your shopping experience, including giving you more choice when you shop on Google. For example, we’ve made it free for merchants to list on Google and made it easy for sellers on Shopify and other digital platforms to  start selling on Google, so their products and inventory are discoverable for shoppers.


And today, we’re adding new tools to make it easier for shoppers to browse for inspiration, find new products and brands and ultimately find what they’re looking for in a more visual way. 


Shop in the moment with Google Lens 

We know that inspiration can strike at any time. Whether it’s an image that you see online, a photo you saved on your phone or something in the real world that catches your eye, Google Lens makes the products you see instantly shoppable. 

Starting soon, iOS users will see a new button in the Google app to make all the images on a page searchable through Google Lens. Now, finding this lamp or that shirt (and ones like it) is just a tap away.

We’re also bringing Lens to Chrome on your desktop. Soon, you will be able to select images, video and text content on a website with Lens to quickly see search results in the same tab — without leaving the page you’re on.

Looking at ApartmentTherapy.com from the Google app for iOS, tap the “search images” button at the bottom in order to see information about the products on the screen, as well as similar products.

Shop in the moment with Lens in the Google app for iOS

Window shop right from Search 

Starting today, we’re making it easier to browse for clothing, shoes and accessories on mobile right from your Search results. For example, when you search for “cropped jackets,” we’ll show you a visual feed of jackets in various colors and styles, alongside other helpful information like local shops, style guides and videos. From there, you can easily filter your search by style, department, brand and more – and when you find something you like, you can check out ratings, reviews and even compare prices to get the best deal. 

This new experience is powered by Google’s Shopping Graph, a comprehensive, real-time dataset of products, inventory, and merchants with more than 24 billion listings. This not only helps us connect shoppers with the right products for them, it also helps millions of merchants and brands get discovered on Google every day.

A search for “cropped jackets” shows a visual, scrollable results page with products and helpful information like styling guides

Browse and explore options for cropped jackets on mobile right from Search

Search in-store inventory from home

Shoppers are increasingly starting their in-person shopping experience online. Before heading out the door, you can find local stores that carry the products you want right from Search. And starting today, when you are looking for products like “kids bike helmet” or even a specific brand, you can select the “in stock” filter to see only the nearby stores that have it on their shelves.

A search for “kids bike helmet near me” using the new “in stock” filter shows retailers in San Francisco with kids bike helmets on their shelves, clicking into Mike’s Bikes of San Francisco.

You can now use the “in stock” filter to see only the nearby stores with a specific item on their shelves.

Showing in-store availability is especially valuable for small businesses, helping them attract new local customers. For example, a mother-daughter duo in Greenville, South Carolina discovered local toy store Hollipops Fine Toys and Gifts after searching for “squishmallows” near them. Check out their story (and find out what a "squishmallow" is).

Hollipops Fine Toys and Gifts got discovered by shoppers looking for Squishmallows, a plush toy
10:25

Throughout the entire process — from the first spark of an idea, to the final purchase — Google is helping to breathe new life into shopping experiences.

Reminder of upcoming Content API for Shopping v2.0 sunset date

In March of this year, we announced that beginning September 30, 2021, we will end support for the legacy v2.0 of the Content API for Shopping. We also recommended you migrate to using v2.1, which has been available since March 2019.

As of this announcement, there is now less than 1 month until support for v2.0 will end on September 30, 2021. Following this date, the legacy v2.0 of the Content API is no longer guaranteed to function. We will continue to provide support for your efforts to migrate to v2.1. To avoid disruption we strongly encourage you to migrate to v2.1 imminently.

What do I need to know?
To check your usage of Content API for Shopping, you can look it up: If your application uses a multi-client account (MCA) to make changes to sub-accounts, you should also check your API usage for that account. Please note that all API usage from Content API for Shopping v2.0, is no longer guaranteed to function after September 30, 2021.

Where do I get support?
We have a comprehensive migration guide to help you migrate your implementation including all the changes and new features available in v2.1.

For support migrating the Inventory.set method, see the release of partial product updates.

For support for Google Apps Script & Google Ads scripts, see the update of the default runtime to v2.1.

If you have any questions or issues during migration, contact your Google representative for Merchant Center programs, or ask questions in the Content API for Shopping forum.
Ian Ballantyne, Content API for Shopping Team

Google Apps Script & Google Ads scripts now support Content API v2.1 by default

Going forward, if you use Content API for Shopping through Google Apps Script or Google Ads scripts, new scripts will use Content API v2.1 by default. This change is part of the deprecation of Content API for Shopping v2, scheduled for sunset on September 30th, 2021, after which scripts that depend on v2 features won’t work.

If you currently have a Google Apps script or Google Ads script that uses Content API for Shopping v2, then we strongly recommend you migrate to v2.1. Please note that some methods and fields in v2 are no longer supported in v2.1 (for example Inventory.set), so check the availability of methods and fields you use when you migrate. See the migration guide for more detail.

If you need help implementing this change, please visit the Content API for Shopping forum.
Ian Ballantyne, Content API for Shopping Team