Google is announcing some updates to its online shopping tools ahead of a summer sales season – and Amazon's Prime Day event.
Amazon has not yet announced when its Prime Day sales will occur, though they tend to be after the Fourth of July holiday.
Google is announcing upgrades to its online shopping tools, including ways to find the cheapest deals and the lowest price amongst retailers. The changes also come at a time when Google recently changed its algorithms, altering what general shopping content shows up on a Google search, including coupons for newspaper sites like USA TODAY.
The summer has "quickly become a major shopping season: In recent years, online searches for 'deals' have spiked in mid July, even surpassing search interest in 'vacation,'" Sean Scott, Google's vice president and general manager of Google Shopping said in a blog post. "And 44% of shoppers say that deal days prompt them to shop more than they normally would."
More ways to save: Visit USA TODAY's coupons page for deals from thousands of vendors
That's according to a new Google/Ipsos survey highlighting consumer sentiment.
Deals and bargains are big drivers for online shoppers, Google and Ipsos found in its recent study. Here are some highlights from the study:
Online shopping:Do you regret that last purchase via social media? You're certainly not alone.
Google needs to continue to evolve to stay competitive, said David Schweidel, a professor of marketing at Emory University.
For years, Google was the primary way that consumers would find information, Schweidel said. Social media platforms and now AI-enabled tools have made it easier to search, he said.
"Google's responded to this, but we're going to see continued innovation from their competitors," he said.
Consumers are always going to be interested in a simpler way to shop online, Schweidel said.
"Imagine the kind of shopping experience that Apple or Amazon could deliver that makes use of the devices in their ecosystem, without requiring us to go through a web browser," he said. "Google's dominance as the gateway to information is being fundamentally challenged."
Here are the newest updates from Google:
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays,here.