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Google Adds Advanced Trip Planning Features To Its Search

A number of Deal labels are posed to appear in Google’s hotel results, so that clients can easily pick out the lowest prices.

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Google has expanded its Local Inventory Ads to Google Maps and its Knowledge Panel, providing users with the ability to view products available at searched-for retail locations, according to Search Engine Land.

There’s a range of new additions for retailers, which will be extended to businesses from the US, UK, and Australia including a new Showcase Shopping ad style, currency conversions and tools for selling in YouTube.

“So the question becomes what can retailers really do to capitalize on these trends for the holiday season”, said Jonathan Alferness, vice president of Google Shopping & Travel.

The idea behind the new Google shopping search features is to allow consumers to make more informed decisions. For example, if they are traveling with a pet, users can search for “pet-friendly hotels” in whichever area they are interested in and add “under $300” as a disambiguation to get more specific results.

The new features related to travel searches include the option to filter hotel searches based on specific needs.

Google has updated its search ads with a raft of new features, including “Showcase Shopping”, a new ad format letting retailers create a more visual experience in search ads.

With mobile travel and retail shopping searches up almost 30 percent this year, Google is expanding its mobile search formats for these categories, including adding flight price tracking and product discovery ads. Merchants can advertise via an interactive companion banner which runs alongside a video, and they can also prioritize which products show up first with Google’s new product picker.

Last but not least, Google promises that cross-border searches and purchases will be made easy. “You can imagine that if you are woman shopping for a pair of shorts and you do a query searching for athletic clothing and we return a set of tops this is not the best result for you”. Mr. Alferness noted that TrueView has seen a 50% increase in advertisers using it since January. Once clicked, the ad will take the user to a Google-hosted page featuring the related products from the retailer’s ad. This feature allows you to convert the currency in your product data locally.

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Chimani, a developer of free application guides for United States national parks, added Google video ads to its download push in an effort to reach a wide swath of outdoor enthusiasts (see more).

Google has more challenges from the EC to deal with