Google Offers Free Listing On Google Shopping.

Google is offering free listings to all U.S. retailers to help them adapt to the challenges of the current e-commerce-focused market. With this change, brands will receive free exposure to the millions of people who use Google Shopping—for shoppers, it means more product options from more stores.

Google Shopping has been an integral part of the company’s search engine for nearly two decades (it was initially named Froogle). In that time, it’s grown as an alternative to e-commerce giants like Amazon or the websites of traditional retailers like Best Buy and Walmart by letting retailers list their direct website links and allowing customers to comparison shop while searching for products.

Social Media Today sees the move as a way for the company to boost its stake as an e-commerce player, reporting that the update has been under development for some time, but Google made the decision to expedite it as a way to assist both consumers and retailers grappling with COVID-19 shutdowns.