For Google, Shopping Searches Are Looking Up

Fighting a battle with Amazon.com Inc. to be the preferred entry point for Internet shopping, Google Inc. last year retooled its lucrative search page. Its strategy is showing signs of progress.

The change allowed retailers to post pictures, descriptions and prices of products at the top of search results, both on desktop computers and, later, mobile devices. For example, a Google search for “microwave oven” shows a grid of photos for specific models, sold online by retailers like Macy’s Inc. and Target Corp., with prices clearly marked. The ads more closely resemble what Amazon shows shoppers than Google’s typical text-based ads. The same search on an iPhone shows a carousel of such ads that users can swipe through.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Must-Reads from other Websites

Panos Mourdoukoutas

Why Apple Should Buy China’s Xiaomi

Paul Graham

What I Didn’t Say

Benjamin Bratton

We Need to Talk About TED

Mat Honan

I, Glasshole: My Year With Google Glass

Chris Ware

All Together Now

Corey S. Powell and Laurie Gwen Shapiro

The Sculpture on the Moon

About Voices

Along with original content and posts from across the Dow Jones network, this section of AllThingsD includes Must-Reads From Other Websites — pieces we’ve read, discussions we’ve followed, stuff we like. Six posts from external sites are included here each weekday, but we only run the headlines. We link to the original sites for the rest. These posts are explicitly labeled, so it’s clear that the content comes from other websites, and for clarity’s sake, all outside posts run against a pink background.

We also solicit original full-length posts and accept some unsolicited submissions.

Read more »