Google Dips Into E-commerce With Direct Checkout

Searching on Google is a frequent starting point for shopping, and with some new features, it can now be the end point, too. Users of the search engine can now buy thousands of products (denoted by a primary colored shopping cart icon) directly through Google, the company said, instead of being redirected to the web site of another retailer. While Google is acting more as a facilitator at this point — orders will be fulfilled by the third parties selling them — the company is also facilitating returns, refunds and offering customer service. Still, Google is not defining itself as an online retailer since it will not be “the merchant of record” for any of the transactions it’s enacting. But it is offering a 20 percent discount with a shopping code for the launch of the checkout feature and the overall redesign of Google Shopping. As for whether this can be seen as an attempt by Google to compete directly with the likes of Amazon and Alibaba, a spokeswoman for the Google Shopping team said, “It’s important to give users as many choices as possible. “Many people already use Google to get ideas and look for great products to buy every day,” the

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