谷歌購物搜索業務初見起色

Fighting a battle with 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.

在與亞馬遜公司( Inc.)爭奪首選網絡購物入口地位的大戰中，谷歌(Google Inc.)去年改造了其頗爲賺錢的搜索頁面。它的戰略如今開始顯示出取得進展的跡象。

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.

谷歌的調整使零售商可以在搜索結果的頂部發布商品照片、產品描述和價格，先是臺式電腦可以利用這一功能，隨後推廣至移動設備。舉個例子，用谷歌搜索“微波爐”，會顯示梅西百貨(Macy's Inc.)和Target Corp.等零售商在網上銷售的具體款型的照片，並明確標明價格。這種廣告更像亞馬遜面向購物者投放的廣告，而非谷歌那種典型的基於文字的廣告。用谷歌搜索iPhone，會顯示一系列相關廣告，用戶可以滑動屏幕進行查看。

By directly helping searchers who know what they want, Google's 'product-listing ads,' as they are called, reduce the number of clicks before users get to the 'buy' button. Searchers click on product ads 34% more frequently than regular text ads, according to Adobe Systems Inc.'s research arm.

對於那些知道自己想要什麼的搜索者，谷歌所謂的“產品列表廣告”可以減少用戶抵達“購買”按鈕之前的點擊次數。據奧多比系統公司(Adobe Systems Inc.)旗下的研究公司說，相比常規的文字廣告，搜索者對這類產品廣告的點擊量要高出34%。

Recent data suggest that such product-listing ads are attracting advertisers and revenue-generating clicks. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and eBay Inc. are the top buyers of Google's product ads, according to AdGooroo, a search-advertising research firm. Marin Software Inc. says that its advertising clients more than doubled spending on Black Friday product ads, compared with last year.

最近的數據顯示，這類產品列表廣告開始吸引廣告客戶，還能帶來可以創造收入的點擊量。據搜索廣告研究公司AdGooroo說，沃爾瑪(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)和eBay Inc.是谷歌產品廣告的最大買家。Marin Software Inc.說，其廣告客戶在今年黑色星期五的廣告支出較去年增加了一倍以上。

One happy advertiser using Google's new ads is John James, chief executive of Acumen Brands, which owns retailer . The product-listing ads 'perform very well,' he says, particularly when searchers know what they are seeking, like the Ariat Rambler Cowboy Boots his company advertises on Google. 'They are definitely a way to unlock value compared to old text ads,' Mr. James says.

約翰・詹姆斯(John James)就是一位使用谷歌新廣告並感到滿意的廣告客戶。他是Acumen Brands的首席執行長，該公司旗下擁有零售商。詹姆斯說，產品列表廣告表現非常好，尤其是當搜索者知道自己想要什麼的時候，比如他的公司在谷歌打了廣告的Ariat Rambler牛仔靴。詹姆斯說，相比過去的文字廣告，這種產品列表廣告毫無疑問是釋放價值的一種途徑。

At stake is supremacy in the U.S. e-commerce market, which comScore expects to grow 14% to around $210 billion this year. While many think of Amazon and Google as being in separate businesses, the two are locked in fierce competition to be the first search box shoppers turn to when they are browsing products online. As more Internet users begin searches on Amazon's marketplace--which comprises an array of vendors besides itself--Google loses an opportunity to show them ads.

廣告客戶爭奪的是美國電子商務市場的霸主地位。comScore預計，美國電子商務市場的規模今年將增長14%，至約2,100億美元。儘管很多人認爲亞馬遜和谷歌業務不同，但這兩家公司卻在激烈競爭成爲購物者在網上瀏覽產品時首選的搜索提供商。隨着更多的網絡用戶開始在亞馬遜的集市上搜索產品――亞馬遜的集市上除了亞馬遜本身外還有很多零售商――谷歌失去了一個向這些用戶顯示廣告的機會。

In a recent survey, analytics and software firm SDL asked people the top three places they intend to research gift purchases this holiday season. 'Online search' registered 45%, down from 49% a year ago. Meantime, the channel growing the most in popularity was the one that includes Amazon, jumping to 37% from 31%.

在最近的一項調查中，分析及軟件公司SDL請受訪者列出這個假日季首選的三個搜索網購禮物的地方。“網絡搜索”佔了45%，低於上年的49%。與此同時，人氣增長最快的是包括亞馬遜在內的渠道，從31%增至37%。

Many e-commerce experts say Google has a long way to catch up to Amazon when it comes to online-shopping searches. Jeff Jordan, a former eBay executive who is now a partner at venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, contends that Amazon thrives by offering a better shopping experience than Google. He says the formula of selection, price and convenience is 'radically in Amazon's favor,' with its large network of merchants, consistent low prices, one-click ordering and fast shipping.

很多電子商務專家說，在網絡購物搜索方面，谷歌要趕上亞馬遜還有很長一段距離。前eBay高管、現爲風投公司Andreessen Horowitz合夥人的傑夫・喬丹(Jeff Jordan)承認，亞馬遜通過提供比谷歌更好的購物體驗而興旺起來。他說，將商品選擇、價格和便利性綜合起來看，亞馬遜佔了明顯優勢，亞馬遜擁有龐大的商戶網絡，一貫的低價格、一鍵點擊下單和快速的發貨。

ChannelAdvisor, which manages e-commerce efforts for retailers, says its clients' sales via Amazon increased about 25% in the third quarter, compared with a year earlier. Sales to users who arrived via search engines like Google increased about 1%.

爲零售商管理電子商務活動的ChannelAdvisor說，第三季度其客戶通過亞馬遜實現的銷售額較上年同期增加了約25%，對通過谷歌等搜索引擎而來的用戶的銷售額增長了約1%。