Online shopping via smartphones made easier; Google to add 'buy' button soon

Google is looking to make it easier for people to shop while using its website, launching a trial run of a feature allowing smartphone users make online  purchases from their search results. The introduction of 'Purchases on Google' comes as Facebook, and Pinterest also try to make it easier for people   to shop while using their sites, putting themselves in position to profit from transactions or related advertising. 

"Although we're still in early experiments with a limited   number of retailers, we see 'Purchases on Google' as a big step towards helping retailers drive more mobile conversions and win more customers," Google shopping product management vice president Jonathan Alferness said in a blog post. Mobile devices, typically smartphones, are increasingly  consulted before or during shopping trips in the United States, influencing nearly a trillion dollars in in-store   sales last year, according to Alferness.  

When people make shopping-related searches using Google, results may include ads featuring 'Buy on Google' buttons that   can be clicked to jump to pages where they can check-out using   payment credentials stored in Google accounts. "Purchases on Google will simplify our customers' ability   to search for items on Google and then buy with Staples," Staples executive vice president of global e-commerce Faisal   Masud said in the blog post.  

Google also rolled out enhancements to shopping ads on   mobile devices, including expanded information regarding   topics such as product ratings and whether items are available at nearby stores.  "As the consumer continues to rapidly adopt mobile as   their primary device, we have to more at a similar pace in how we reduce purchase friction and enhance the user experience   with our brand," Under Armour chief revenue officer of digital   Jason LaRose said in the blog post. "Google's technology solutions help us innovate." 

Pinterest last month dove into e-commerce with "pins" that let   iPhone or iPad users in the United States buy items they like   at the popular online bulletin board.  "Pinterest is already designed to work like a catalogue, so we wanted to find a way to weave buyable pins into the   pages people already know," co-founder and chief executive Ben Silbermann said during a launch event at the company's   headquarters in San Francisco.   

"Buyable pins are a simple and secure way to buy the   products you love right from inside Pinterest," he said.   Pinterest has become one of the Internet's hottest new   websites, particularly among women, by giving people virtual   bulletin boards that they can decorate with pictures   showcasing interests in anything from food to sports, to   fashion or travel.   Last month, Facebook expanded tests of a "buy button" designed to let shoppers easily purchases items advertised at   the social network.