Tag Archives: shopping

Get more visual results when you shop on desktop

Shopping is about so much more than just buying — it’s also about browsing, researching and narrowing down your options to get the right product at the right price. It’s easy to take each of these steps on Google, thanks to our AI-enhanced Shopping Graph. The Shopping Graph now understands more than 35 billion product listings and can quickly organize shopping information online — making it much easier and more intuitive to find what you're looking for.

Last month we announced several new features coming to Google, including more visual ways to shop on mobile. And now, in the U.S., we’re bringing you a more visual shopping experience on desktop.

An animation of the search “shop ceramic vase” on desktop shows a more visual shopping results page, including product listings, articles with featured imagery and stores near you. The animation also clicks into the product listing of a ceramic vase shaped like a strawberry, which then opens a sidebar on the right hand side showing different merchants the product is available from and product reviews.

Whether you’re looking for clothes, electronics, beauty products or home goods on desktop, you’ll see a more visual feed of shopping results that includes products, brands, articles and videos from across the web. New dynamic filters will also help you refine your search to find something specific. So if you’re shopping for a new coffee maker on desktop, you can search “shop coffee makers” and filter by type, brand, retailer, nearby or on sale to find the best option. Our results and filters are dynamic so they'll update to show you the freshest content.

A search bar shows searches for “shop plant stands,” “shop mid century modern chairs” and “shop coffee makers.” Each search shows a page of shopping results with visuals of product listings.

You can also read up on products without interrupting your search. Just click a product to instantly see more details about it — like offers from different merchants and reviews — all without leaving your Search results page. Once you’ve found something you want, just click to go to the retailer’s site.

Check out this new shopping experience on desktop today to quickly find what you need — or discover your next dream purchase.

Source: Search


Get more visual results when you shop on desktop

Shopping is about so much more than just buying — it’s also about browsing, researching and narrowing down your options to get the right product at the right price. It’s easy to take each of these steps on Google, thanks to our AI-enhanced Shopping Graph. The Shopping Graph now understands more than 35 billion product listings and can quickly organize shopping information online — making it much easier and more intuitive to find what you're looking for.

Last month we announced several new features coming to Google, including more visual ways to shop on mobile. And now, in the U.S., we’re bringing you a more visual shopping experience on desktop.

An animation of the search “shop ceramic vase” on desktop shows a more visual shopping results page, including product listings, articles with featured imagery and stores near you. The animation also clicks into the product listing of a ceramic vase shaped like a strawberry, which then opens a sidebar on the right hand side showing different merchants the product is available from and product reviews.

Whether you’re looking for clothes, electronics, beauty products or home goods on desktop, you’ll see a more visual feed of shopping results that includes products, brands, articles and videos from across the web. New dynamic filters will also help you refine your search to find something specific. So if you’re shopping for a new coffee maker on desktop, you can search “shop coffee makers” and filter by type, brand, retailer, nearby or on sale to find the best option. Our results and filters are dynamic so they'll update to show you the freshest content.

A search bar shows searches for “shop plant stands,” “shop mid century modern chairs” and “shop coffee makers.” Each search shows a page of shopping results with visuals of product listings.

You can also read up on products without interrupting your search. Just click a product to instantly see more details about it — like offers from different merchants and reviews — all without leaving your Search results page. Once you’ve found something you want, just click to go to the retailer’s site.

Check out this new shopping experience on desktop today to quickly find what you need — or discover your next dream purchase.

Source: Search


9 new features and tools for easier shopping on Google

Shopping isn’t just about buying. It’s also about exploring your options, discovering new styles and trends, and researching to make sure you’re getting the right product at the right price. Today at our annual Search On event, we announced nine new ways we're transforming the way you shop with Google, bringing you a more immersive, informed and personalized shopping experience.

Powering this experience is the Shopping Graph, our AI-enhanced model that now understands more than 35 billion product listings — up from 24 billion just last year.

Let's browse through all these new features and tools:

More visual ways to shop

1. Search with the word “shop”: Today we’re introducing a new way to unlock the shopping experience on Google. In the U.S., when you search the word “shop” followed by whatever item you're looking for, you’ll access a visual feed of products, research tools and nearby inventory related to that product. We’re also expanding the shoppable search experience beyond apparel to all categories — from electronics to beauty — and more regions on mobile (and coming soon to desktop).

An animation of the Google search bar showing different search queries like “shop gloves.”

2. Shop the look: When you’re shopping for apparel on Google, you can now “shop the look” to help you easily assemble the perfect outfit. Say you’re looking for a new fall wardrobe staple, like a bomber jacket. The tool will show you images of bomber jackets and complementary pieces, plus options for where to buy them — all within Search.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s “shop the look” feature on a mobile device related to a search for “bomber jackets.” It scrolls through images, store options and prices.

3. See what’s trending: Trending products is a new feature in Search that shows you products that are popular right now within a category — helping you discover the latest models, styles and brands. U.S. shoppers will be able to shop the look and see trending products later this fall.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s “trending products” feature in Search on mobile. It scrolls through images and a section called “Trending now.”

4. Shop in 3D: People engage with 3D images almost 50% more than static ones. Earlier this year, we brought 3D visuals of home goods to Search. Soon you’ll find 3D visuals of shoes, starting with sneakers, as you search on Google. While many merchants already have 3D models available, we know creating these assets can be expensive and time consuming, often requiring hundreds of product photos and costly technology. So, to make this process more efficient and cost-effective, we’re announcing a new way to build 3D visuals. Thanks to our advancements in machine learning, we can now automate 360-degree spins of sneakers using just a handful of still photos (instead of hundreds). This new technology will be available in the coming months.

An animation of rotating 3D images of sneakers with the text “3D Shoes — automating 360 degree spins with just a handful of images.”

Tools to shop with confidence

5. Get help with complex purchases: It can be overwhelming to make certain purchases — you consider lots of factors, read tons of articles and open countless tabs on your browser. For those trickier decisions, the new buying guide feature shares helpful insights about a category from a wide range of trusted sources, all in one place. If you’re shopping for a mountain bike, for instance, the buying guide might show you information about size, suspension, weight and materials. With this information, you can research and make quicker decisions with confidence. Buying guide recently launched in the U.S., with new insight categories coming soon.

An animation of Google Shopping’s new buying guide feature related to a search for “mountain bikes.” It scrolls through images and insights about mountain bikes.

6. See what other shoppers think: Page insights will give you even more reason to shop with confidence. This new feature in the Google app brings together helpful context about a webpage you’re on or a product you’re researching, like its pros and cons and star ratings, all in one view. And to find the best deal, you can easily opt in to get price drop updates. Page insights will launch in the U.S. in the coming months.

An animation of Google Shopping’s upcoming “page insights” tool related to a search for “kid’s bikes.” It clicks on an option to “track product,” opens a webpage titled “The 10 Best Kids Bikes You Can Buy Right Now” and clicks on “about this page.”

More personal shopping experiences

7. Get personalized results: Soon you’ll see more personalized shopping results based on your previous shopping habits. You’ll also have the option to tell us your preferences directly, plus controls to easily turn off personalized results if you’d like. Here’s how it works: When you’re shopping on Google, just make your selections once — your preferred department and brands — to see more of each in the future. So if you select the “womens” department and the brand Cuyana, next time you’re shopping for something like a messenger bag, we’ll show you women’s messenger bags from Cuyana and similar brands. And if at any point you don’t want to see personalized results or your preferences change, you can easily adjust or turn off the feature by tapping the three dots next to a Search result via the About this result panel. Shopping personalization will roll out in the U.S. later this year.

An animation showing Google’s personalization options. The screen selects a department chip labeled “women’s” and a brand chip labeled “Cuyana,” followed by a screen labeled "About this result."

8. Shop your way with new filters: Whole page shopping filters on Search are now dynamic and adapt based on real-time Search trends. So if you’re shopping for jeans, you might see filters for “wide leg” and “bootcut” because those are the popular denim styles right now — but those may change over time, depending on what’s trending. Dynamic filters are now available in the U.S., Japan and India, and will come to more regions in the future.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s new dynamic filters on mobile related to a search for “shop jeans.” Filter options include “wide leg” and “boot cut.”

9. Get inspired beyond the Search box: Using Discover in the Google app, you'll see suggested styles based on what you've been shopping for, and what others have searched for too. For instance, if you’re into vintage styles, soon you’ll see suggested queries of popular vintage looks. Just tap whatever catches your eye and use Lens to see options for where to buy.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s new suggested queries on mobile, using popular vintage looks as an example.

With these new features, your shopping experience on Google just got a lot easier, more intuitive and, of course, more fun. And regardless of where you end up buying, these tools can help you find what you want more quickly and maybe even discover the next thing you'll love.

9 new features and tools for easier shopping on Google

Shopping isn’t just about buying. It’s also about exploring your options, discovering new styles and trends, and researching to make sure you’re getting the right product at the right price. Today at our annual Search On event, we announced nine new ways we're transforming the way you shop with Google, bringing you a more immersive, informed and personalized shopping experience.

Powering this experience is the Shopping Graph, our AI-enhanced model that now understands more than 35 billion product listings — up from 24 billion just last year.

Let's browse through all these new features and tools:

More visual ways to shop

1. Search with the word “shop”: Today we’re introducing a new way to unlock the shopping experience on Google. In the U.S., when you search the word “shop” followed by whatever item you're looking for, you’ll access a visual feed of products, research tools and nearby inventory related to that product. We’re also expanding the shoppable search experience beyond apparel to all categories — from electronics to beauty — and more regions on mobile (and coming soon to desktop).

An animation of the Google search bar showing different search queries like “shop gloves.”

2. Shop the look: When you’re shopping for apparel on Google, you can now “shop the look” to help you easily assemble the perfect outfit. Say you’re looking for a new fall wardrobe staple, like a bomber jacket. The tool will show you images of bomber jackets and complementary pieces, plus options for where to buy them — all within Search.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s “shop the look” feature on a mobile device related to a search for “bomber jackets.” It scrolls through images, store options and prices.

3. See what’s trending: Trending products is a new feature in Search that shows you products that are popular right now within a category — helping you discover the latest models, styles and brands. U.S. shoppers will be able to shop the look and see trending products later this fall.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s “trending products” feature in Search on mobile. It scrolls through images and a section called “Trending now.”

4. Shop in 3D: People engage with 3D images almost 50% more than static ones. Earlier this year, we brought 3D visuals of home goods to Search. Soon you’ll find 3D visuals of shoes, starting with sneakers, as you search on Google. While many merchants already have 3D models available, we know creating these assets can be expensive and time consuming, often requiring hundreds of product photos and costly technology. So, to make this process more efficient and cost-effective, we’re announcing a new way to build 3D visuals. Thanks to our advancements in machine learning, we can now automate 360-degree spins of sneakers using just a handful of still photos (instead of hundreds). This new technology will be available in the coming months.

An animation of rotating 3D images of sneakers with the text “3D Shoes — automating 360 degree spins with just a handful of images.”

Tools to shop with confidence

5. Get help with complex purchases: It can be overwhelming to make certain purchases — you consider lots of factors, read tons of articles and open countless tabs on your browser. For those trickier decisions, the new buying guide feature shares helpful insights about a category from a wide range of trusted sources, all in one place. If you’re shopping for a mountain bike, for instance, the buying guide might show you information about size, suspension, weight and materials. With this information, you can research and make quicker decisions with confidence. Buying guide recently launched in the U.S., with new insight categories coming soon.

An animation of Google Shopping’s new buying guide feature related to a search for “mountain bikes.” It scrolls through images and insights about mountain bikes.

6. See what other shoppers think: Page insights will give you even more reason to shop with confidence. This new feature in the Google app brings together helpful context about a webpage you’re on or a product you’re researching, like its pros and cons and star ratings, all in one view. And to find the best deal, you can easily opt in to get price drop updates. Page insights will launch in the U.S. in the coming months.

An animation of Google Shopping’s upcoming “page insights” tool related to a search for “kid’s bikes.” It clicks on an option to “track product,” opens a webpage titled “The 10 Best Kids Bikes You Can Buy Right Now” and clicks on “about this page.”

More personal shopping experiences

7. Get personalized results: Soon you’ll see more personalized shopping results based on your previous shopping habits. You’ll also have the option to tell us your preferences directly, plus controls to easily turn off personalized results if you’d like. Here’s how it works: When you’re shopping on Google, just make your selections once — your preferred department and brands — to see more of each in the future. So if you select the “womens” department and the brand Cuyana, next time you’re shopping for something like a messenger bag, we’ll show you women’s messenger bags from Cuyana and similar brands. And if at any point you don’t want to see personalized results or your preferences change, you can easily adjust or turn off the feature by tapping the three dots next to a Search result via the About this result panel. Shopping personalization will roll out in the U.S. later this year.

An animation showing Google’s personalization options. The screen selects a department chip labeled “women’s” and a brand chip labeled “Cuyana,” followed by a screen labeled "About this result."

8. Shop your way with new filters: Whole page shopping filters on Search are now dynamic and adapt based on real-time Search trends. So if you’re shopping for jeans, you might see filters for “wide leg” and “bootcut” because those are the popular denim styles right now — but those may change over time, depending on what’s trending. Dynamic filters are now available in the U.S., Japan and India, and will come to more regions in the future.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s new dynamic filters on mobile related to a search for “shop jeans.” Filter options include “wide leg” and “boot cut.”

9. Get inspired beyond the Search box: Using Discover in the Google app, you'll see suggested styles based on what you've been shopping for, and what others have searched for too. For instance, if you’re into vintage styles, soon you’ll see suggested queries of popular vintage looks. Just tap whatever catches your eye and use Lens to see options for where to buy.

An animation showing Google Shopping’s new suggested queries on mobile, using popular vintage looks as an example.

With these new features, your shopping experience on Google just got a lot easier, more intuitive and, of course, more fun. And regardless of where you end up buying, these tools can help you find what you want more quickly and maybe even discover the next thing you'll love.

Country targeting update for products in Content API for Shopping and Google Ads API

On August 10, 2022, we announced a change to country targeting for shopping products with the introduction of the feedLabel field. We’d like to update you on the progress of this change. Here are our previous announcements: What’s already changed

Google Ads:
Any Google Ads account can set the feed_label field in ShoppingSetting for Shopping and Performance Max campaigns. You can set feed_label in the Google Ads UI and the Google Ads API.

Merchant Center & Content API:
As of September 14th, 2022 we‘ve started the gradual rollout of feed labels in the Merchant Center UI. When this feature is enabled in the UI, merchants will be able to create a new feed with feed label set to any valid string. See Use feed labels to advertise products from specific feeds for more information.

In the Content API, you might see the following:
  • Products that have only feedLabel, and not targetCountry, if they were added in the Merchant Center UI.
  • Products with feed labels that aren’t two-letter country codes.
You can now use Products.update to update products by feedLabel. For example, if you had a product with offerId of “111111111” and a feedLabel set to “WINTERPRODUCTS”, you can now update attributes such as salePrice for that product by making the following call:
HTTP request:

PATCH https://shoppingcontent.googleapis.com/content/v2.1/{merchantId}/products/online:en:WINTERPRODUCTS:1111111111
Example request body:

{
  "salePrice": {
    "value": "17.99",
    "currency": "USD"
  }
}
Behavior summary:
Here’s a clarification of the current API behavior for feedLabel:
  • Insertion: You can only call Products.insert on products with a matching feedLabel and targetCountry. Currently, Products.insert might return an error if you don’t provide a matching targetCountry. This behavior hasn’t changed if you continue to use only targetCountry.
  • Targeting: If you set feedLabel to a valid 2-letter CLDR territory code, you must still set the shipping attribute of the products resource to the same country in order to target that country. For example, if you set a new feedLabel to “US”, you must also set the country field in the shipping attribute to “US”. If you don’t set both fields, the product might not be eligible to serve in that country. You can configure targeting for an entire feed in the Merchant Center UI.
  • Get/List: When you use Products.list or Products.get, you might see products that only have feedLabel (and not targetCountry) set if they were added in the Merchant Center UI.
  • Product IDs: Once a feedLabel is set for a product it becomes part of the product Id. This means you can’t modify the feedLabel for that product (this is similar to how language works). If you wish to change the feedLabel you will need to create a new product with a different product Id.
What’s coming next

Products:
Once the gradual rollout of feed labels in the Merchant Center UI is complete, we will accept Products.insert calls with feedLabel set to any string. At this point, including targetCountry will become optional.

Datafeeds:
In late September, we will also update the datafeeds resource to include feedLabel in the Content API for Shopping.

Opt out of receiving products and datafeeds without a country
If you’re concerned your codebase cannot handle products and datafeeds without a country, and you want to opt out of receiving them via the Content API for Shopping, fill out the following form: Feed label replaces target country in the Content API for Shopping - temporary exemption. When you’re ready to support feedLabel, you can opt back in to receiving these offers.
If you have any questions about this change, please visit the Content API for Shopping forum.
Ian Ballantyne, Content API for Shopping Team

Country targeting in Shopping Ads campaigns is changing in August 2022

We’re starting a phased rollout of a change to country targeting in Google Ads and Merchant Center. The rollout has already begun and will continue into September.

See Feed label replaces target country in Content API for Shopping for how this change impacts the Content API for Shopping.

When the change reaches you, you’ll be able to set the feed_label field in ShoppingSetting for Shopping & Performance Max campaigns in the UI and API. Due to this change, you may begin seeing campaigns with feed_labels set in the UI and API for certain merchants. Campaigns with feed_label not set to a 2-letter CLDR territory code can serve ads in any country as long as the campaign has the appropriate geoTargeting and the appropriate target countries are set in Merchant Center.

This change doesn’t impact the countries targeted by existing shopping feeds. You don’t need to update existing shopping feeds or campaigns.

What’s changing in Merchant Center
Today, Google Merchant Center feeds require you to select a primary country of sale target (sales_country in Google Ads API), with the option to provide additional target countries once the feed has been created. Starting in August 23, 2022, we will make the following changes to how target countries are organized in the Merchant Center UI:
  • The primary country of sale option will be removed in Google Merchant Center. Country of sale will be replaced by the more generic feed_label that can accept any string, including any existing 2 letter CDLR country code.
  • The current additional countries field will be renamed target countries, and will include all countries you want the feed to target.
What’s changing in Google Ads UI and API
The current sales_country field for all available Shopping campaign types, including Performance Max, will eventually be replaced by feed_label. Note that we will keep the sales_country field for backwards compatibility until at least Q2 2023. Right now, you can continue to use sales_country in your campaigns.

You can create a feed_label in Google Merchant Center or the Content API. Feed labels let you group different offers according to a common trait, like language (or a country, as you’ve currently been doing). You can also use feed_labels in Google Ads campaigns to target the relevant offers (all products with the same Merchant Center feed label).

The ads for the offers that match the feed_label will show based on the following:
  1. The countries you selected as target countries in Merchant Center.
  2. Your campaign’s geo targeting. Note: The default campaign targeting behavior (if you do not geo target) is that your products will serve in all your Merchant Center target countries.
How you’re impacted
The phased rollout to enable this feature in Google Ads UI and API has already started, and is expected to be complete by the end of September 2022. For existing feeds, feed_label will automatically be set to the two-letter territory code of the existing sales_country field to avoid interrupting existing targeting.

However, if you want to support new users or new feeds that only have a feed_label and not a sales_country field, we recommend you update your code by August 23, 2022 to accommodate customers who will use campaigns that only have a feed_label (without a sales_country).

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us via the forum.
Benji Rothman, Content API for Shopping Team

Feed label replaces target country in Content API for Shopping

On August 23, 2022 we will gradually start updating the way country targeting works for shopping products. As a result, the targetCountry field for newly inserted products and the country field for new datafeeds may be empty in the Content API for Shopping. While targetCountry and country are now deprecated, there are no plans to remove these fields from v2.1 to preserve backward compatibility. We recommend using feedLabel to name new products and feeds, and using the shipping field to specify the countries to target.

If you're accessing accounts whose product data you don’t have total control over and you are unsure whether the products or datafeeds will have ONLY a feedLabel field beginning in late August, we recommend you update your code to support the feedLabel field.

This upcoming change might impact or break your API integration if your application cannot handle products without a targetCountry or datafeeds without a country.

See Country targeting in Shopping Ads campaigns is changing in August 2022 for how this change will impact Google Ads.

What’s already changed
On August 8, 2022, the Content API for Shopping added the feedLabel field to the products resource. As of August 8, 2022, feedLabel can only accept and return two-letter CLDR territory codes. Products now require either targetCountry or feedLabel. As long as the feedLabel set is a valid two-letter CLDR code, targetCountry will be backfilled for compatibility.

We have changed the definition of the product identifier (the id, i.e. the REST ID). feedLabel now replaces targetCountry as the third component of the identifier, so it is no longer just a valid two-letter CLDR code. You can find an example shown here.

This change to product identifier is backwards compatible, so existing REST IDs for existing products will continue to work without change.

Important: feedLabel doesn’t impact targeting. This means if you use feedLabel instead of targetCountry, you need to specify all countries you want to target in the shipping attribute.

What’s coming next
We’re starting a gradual rollout to all users on August 23, 2022. When the upcoming change reaches you, you’ll be able to create a product or datafeed with any string (not just a two-letter CLDR code) as the feedLabel via the API or the Merchant Center. You’ll still be able to use a two-letter country code in targetCountry for backwards compatibility.

After the upcoming change, if you submit a feedLabel that isn’t a CLDR territory code, the API will return those products without a targetCountry or those datafeeds without a country. Instead, only their feedLabel will be populated. This may break your codebase if your implementation expects a value in targetCountry for products or a value in country for datafeeds.

How you’re impacted
Products
If you continue inserting your products with a targetCountry, you are not required to make any changes at this time, as the feedLabel value in the products REST ID will be identical to the targetCountry you inserted.

However, if you use a feedLabel in Merchant Center or the API that is not a CLDR territory code, we highly recommend you update your codebase to use feedLabels on all product insertions instead of targetCountry to avoid issues with your API integration.

All products inserted with a feedLabel instead of targetCountry, even if the feedLabel is a CLDR territory code, will not automatically target that country. You must explicitly set the countries you want to target via the shipping field.

Datafeeds
Note that starting August 23, 2022, feed label will replace the current country of sale value in the Merchant Center UI. The Content API will be expected to support this change via the datafeeds service starting mid-September. These new datafeeds will only have the feedLabel field set, not the country field, unless you explicitly set the feedLabel to a CLDR territory code.

To support new users, we highly recommend you update your codebase to use feedLabels on all datafeeds instead of country to avoid issues with your API integration.

Recommendation for third party integrations
If you’re a third party or agency that manages your customers' accounts for them, we highly recommend you check your codebase is able handle products without a targetCountry and datafeeds without a country before August 23, 2022.

After the gradual rollout starting in late August, your merchants will be able to modify products directly in Merchant Center to create a product with a feedLabel that is not a valid two-letter CLDR territory code. When this product is returned via products.list, you could encounter issues if your implementation expects a value in targetCountry.

As well, after the gradual rollout in late August, new users will create datafeeds that by default have a feedLabel and no country field. When this datafeed is returned via datafeeds.list, you could encounter issues if your implementation expects a value in country.

How to detect if you have offers without a country in your Merchant Center account
  1. Make a request to products.list.
  2. Filter your products to search for products where the targetCountry field does not exist on the product.
  3. If any products appear, you have offers without a country in your Merchant Center.
Detailed Changes
To view a detailed breakdown of the changes to the Content API by this feature launch, see the guide here.

Datafeeds Service
Starting mid-September the datafeeds service will begin to return feedLabel on all datafeeds, which will be the country value if that is how the datafeed was created. The datafeeds service will also return the country field if the feedLabel is a valid country code for backwards compatibility.

Opt out of receiving products and datafeeds without a country
If you’re concerned your codebase cannot handle products and datafeeds without a country, and you want to opt out of receiving them via the Content API after August 23, then please fill out the following form: Feed label replaces target country in the Content API for Shopping - temporary exemption. Once you have fully supported feedLabel, you will be able to opt back in to receiving these offers.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us via the forum.
Benji Rothman, Content API for Shopping Team

Find back-to-school deals for 2000s throwback trends

This fall, for the first time in years, many students across the U.S. will return to the classroom in person. With a new (in-real-life) school year fast approaching, students and their families are already on the lookout for new gear: In fact, searches for “back to school supplies'' increased by 80% in the last month versus the same period last year, while searches for “back to school deals” grew 40%.

Two search bars show the queries “back to school supplies” and “back to school deals.” The “back to school supplies” bar has illustrations of a notebook, a calculator, pens and pencils, with the text “+80%” next to it in blue. The “back to school deals” bar has an illustration of a backpack with a price tag, with the text “+40%” next to it in green.

We looked into what items back-to-school shoppers are searching for and found that the early 2000s are having a moment. One of this season’s hottest shopping trends is the Y2K aesthetic — with butterfly hair clips, trucker hats and inflatable dorm furniture making a comeback.

So as you get ready for the school year, we’re sharing the top-trending Y2K back-to-school items and Google tools to help you get the most bang for your buck.

Top Y2K trends

Search interest for school supplies spikes every August in the U.S., and it's driven by searches for the usual suspects: file folders, pencil cases, notebooks and three-ring binders. This year, trending product searches are leaning into the Y2K style.

Back(pack) to the 2000s

As students head to the physical classroom, they’re ready to shop for the back-to-school staple: a brand new backpack. Searches for playful Y2K styles like “butterfly backpacks” spiked 190% over the last month and “metallic backpacks,” another iconic Y2K look, grew by 90% during the same period. Meanwhile, searches for “vintage backpack” reached a record high in the U.S. this month.

A clear favorite

Translucent and clear accessories were a trademark of early 2000s style. Now, the clear aesthetic is finding its way into school supplies: Searches for "clear post it notes" increased by more than 250% ahead of the back-to-school season, “clear bento boxes” are currently trending and searches for “clear pencil case” are at an all-time high.

Throwback threads

Y2K is also breaking through in back-to-school apparel trends. Search interest for “baggy jeans outfits” is up 650% this month, while searches for “claw clips,” “crochet top” and “trucker hats” are at an all-time high. You can also expect to see students sporting other early 2000s classics — like the “baby tee,” up 40% this year, and “butterfly hair clips,” up 80%.

Funky dorm decor

For students headed off to college, dorm room decorations are top of mind. Search interest for “Y2K room decor” increased 80% in the last month versus the same time period last year. Classic styles from the early 2000s are showing up in home goods — for example, searches for “smiley face rugs” increased 15% in the past month. Playful decor is on the rise too, with “inflatable furniture” searches up 10%, and “glow in the dark stars for ceiling” searches more than doubling over the past month.

Get the best back-to-school deals

Shoppers aren’t just looking for the coolest styles, they’re looking for the best deals. When you start back-to-school shopping on Google, our tools can help you find inspiration, research and compare products for the best value.

On sale filter

Tap the “on sale” filter when you’re searching for a back-to-school product on the Shopping tab to see recent price drops, deals and products on sale — making it simple to factor price into your search from the start.

Price insights

Ever wonder if you’re getting a good deal? Click into the product details page on Google Shopping for a price insights graph. It’ll show you whether a product price is high, low or typical compared to others across the web and in nearby stores.

Price tracking tool

If you’re getting a head start on shopping, our price tracking tool can help you monitor price changes leading up to the school year. When you find a product you’re interested in, tap the “Track Price” toggle on Google to get a notification when the price drops.

Find back-to-school deals for 2000s throwback trends

This fall, for the first time in years, many students across the U.S. will return to the classroom in person. With a new (in-real-life) school year fast approaching, students and their families are already on the lookout for new gear: In fact, searches for “back to school supplies'' increased by 80% in the last month versus the same period last year, while searches for “back to school deals” grew 40%.

Two search bars show the queries “back to school supplies” and “back to school deals.” The “back to school supplies” bar has illustrations of a notebook, a calculator, pens and pencils, with the text “+80%” next to it in blue. The “back to school deals” bar has an illustration of a backpack with a price tag, with the text “+40%” next to it in green.

We looked into what items back-to-school shoppers are searching for and found that the early 2000s are having a moment. One of this season’s hottest shopping trends is the Y2K aesthetic — with butterfly hair clips, trucker hats and inflatable dorm furniture making a comeback.

So as you get ready for the school year, we’re sharing the top-trending Y2K back-to-school items and Google tools to help you get the most bang for your buck.

Top Y2K trends

Search interest for school supplies spikes every August in the U.S., and it's driven by searches for the usual suspects: file folders, pencil cases, notebooks and three-ring binders. This year, trending product searches are leaning into the Y2K style.

Back(pack) to the 2000s

As students head to the physical classroom, they’re ready to shop for the back-to-school staple: a brand new backpack. Searches for playful Y2K styles like “butterfly backpacks” spiked 190% over the last month and “metallic backpacks,” another iconic Y2K look, grew by 90% during the same period. Meanwhile, searches for “vintage backpack” reached a record high in the U.S. this month.

A clear favorite

Translucent and clear accessories were a trademark of early 2000s style. Now, the clear aesthetic is finding its way into school supplies: Searches for "clear post it notes" increased by more than 250% ahead of the back-to-school season, “clear bento boxes” are currently trending and searches for “clear pencil case” are at an all-time high.

Throwback threads

Y2K is also breaking through in back-to-school apparel trends. Search interest for “baggy jeans outfits” is up 650% this month, while searches for “claw clips,” “crochet top” and “trucker hats” are at an all-time high. You can also expect to see students sporting other early 2000s classics — like the “baby tee,” up 40% this year, and “butterfly hair clips,” up 80%.

Funky dorm decor

For students headed off to college, dorm room decorations are top of mind. Search interest for “Y2K room decor” increased 80% in the last month versus the same time period last year. Classic styles from the early 2000s are showing up in home goods — for example, searches for “smiley face rugs” increased 15% in the past month. Playful decor is on the rise too, with “inflatable furniture” searches up 10%, and “glow in the dark stars for ceiling” searches more than doubling over the past month.

Get the best back-to-school deals

Shoppers aren’t just looking for the coolest styles, they’re looking for the best deals. When you start back-to-school shopping on Google, our tools can help you find inspiration, research and compare products for the best value.

On sale filter

Tap the “on sale” filter when you’re searching for a back-to-school product on the Shopping tab to see recent price drops, deals and products on sale — making it simple to factor price into your search from the start.

Price insights

Ever wonder if you’re getting a good deal? Click into the product details page on Google Shopping for a price insights graph. It’ll show you whether a product price is high, low or typical compared to others across the web and in nearby stores.

Price tracking tool

If you’re getting a head start on shopping, our price tracking tool can help you monitor price changes leading up to the school year. When you find a product you’re interested in, tap the “Track Price” toggle on Google to get a notification when the price drops.

Performance Max upgrade has started

As we announced in January and again in March, existing and future Smart Shopping campaigns (SSC) will automatically upgrade to Performance Max campaigns between July and September 2022. The self-upgrade started in April 2022. The automatic upgrade has commenced (related blog post) and should complete by September 30, 2022. This blog post adds details for our API developers.

Starting July 25, 2022, accounts without active or paused SSCs (including new accounts) will no longer be able to create SSCs.

Once an account with active or paused SSCs has been automatically upgraded from SSC to Performance Max, no new SSC creation will be permitted in any surface including the UI, the API, Google Ads Scripts or Google Ads Editor.

The Google Ads API v11 included a new UpgradeSmartShoppingCampaignToPerformanceMaxRecommendation recommendation type to allow developers to upgrade a given SSC to a Performance Max campaign. This can still be applied to an account that has not yet automatically upgraded.

As mentioned in the January blog post, Local campaigns will also be automatically upgraded to Performance Max. An upcoming release of the Google Ads API will include a new recommendation type to allow developers to upgrade an eligible Local campaign to a Performance Max campaign.

Additional information

If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum.

, Google Ads API Team