01¹⁰
2015

YouTube:
Google who has purchased YouTube back in 2006 has been built up to become the 2nd most used search engine. When most think about search engines they would never consider YouTube to be placed in this category but in fact many people search for tutorials, reviews, and products online through videos rather than physical text. Although this trend is not a new one it is also one that has picked up over the last little while. A major question is why do users perform these searches? The simple answer is they like to see a physical product/put a face to a review or video. By physically seeing in video format it at times brings peoples minds at ease as unlike with photos, videos are not altered and realistic.

Shopping:
When we look at the online trend we see that many shopping centers whether clothing stores, movie stores, phone stores, etc. there is a push towards seeing a product in video or physically in a store and then purchasing it online. This is accomplished due to the costs associated with purchasing online, as many times it is cheaper than physically buying in store. This process has caused a major shift with many brick and mortar stores shutting down and either focusing efforts online or closing down completely.

AdWords Search:
When we look at Google AdWords search campaigns we have seen that more companies are using the Shop ads that pop up on searches. For those who are unaware these shop ads are product listing by a company that tries to push products through clicks and e-commerce. For example if someone is looking for shoes and they type in Adidas shoes, Google may decide to show up images with prices of that particular product that is being advertised. This is a shift from traditional search ads and add uniqueness to those trying to sell particular products. This idea in terms of cost though is the same as a click will cost the company and again it is placed with an emphasis on positioning.

Search On YouTube:
While people search all the time on YouTube, Google has now understood that there is another market. The question is why can’t people view and purchase the products being reviewed on YouTube from within the interface? Well now it is coming soon. They have announced that users will have the ability to shop on YouTube in the upcoming future. This means that while watching a video on shoes for example, advertisers will be able to place an ad on the video through a small information icon and allow users to view and purchase while watching the video. They have also announced that advertisers can showcase products for purchase through TrueView ads which will have an option to add product listings.

A New Future:
With this new Shopping YouTube coming soon this means that people shopping in stores will be diminished even further. This change will encourage the purchasing of products directly from ads and videos which means that users can purchase anywhere on the web. While this move is a smart one by Google it could interfere with companies who are not yet in the online marketing advertising space and it is those who will suffer. This in essence is Google’s way to keep securing a need to advertise online and taking advantage of trends that they see. These product listing will be relevant to what is being shown on screen and it is in Google’s best interest to make this new product section one that companies will want to use.

Test and Try:
While some companies may be on the fence about this change and new direction it is a unique one that will allow those using it to stand out even more. By utilizing all aspects of Google’s network and online marketing abilities it creates a great over-arch for companies to develop a strong return on investment. It is only natural that this new option is coming to reality as Google seems to have covered everything on all aspects except YouTube other than just showing ads. Now it is truly a full fledged advertising market everywhere.