I think Google is at a big disadvantage when it comes to shopping. Amazon already has a powerful ecosystem. You can become an Amazon seller. Amazon sells it's own brand of many items, which are all high-quality, low-price. Amazon has a well-understood review system, with comments. Amazon has fairly strict quality controls, and if something goes wrong, Amazon will bend-over-backwards to make sure it comes out in your favor. I have never been burned in nearly a decade of Amazon usage. I don't know anyone who has.<p>Google does not has an ecosystem. It does not have strict quality controls. If a delivery goes bad, what will they offer? Google has notoriously awful customer support. I know plenty of people who have complaints about Google products and services. And I don't see how Google can bridge this gap to compete with Amazon. Google and Amazon have different cultures, Amazon treats every day as the first day of business, Google is an ad company. There is a wide chasm between the two ideals. Even if Google spends it's way to parity with Amazon, they have merely caught up. Being equal with Amazon will not cause defections for Amazon. But it will cost Google a lot.
Amazon's search ability sucks though.<p>You have to really really work to find legit items similar to what you want if it not a specific brand name item.<p>Amazon also allows sellers to list cheap oem copies of products right on the genuine manufacturer page.<p>For example if you want a phone battery from motorola specifically, you better buy it from amazon directly because all the other sellers on that page are cheap oem knockoffs that may not even have the battery temperature sensor inside. If the product directly from amazon goes out of stock, then a fake takes the place front and center.<p>Here's a specific listing with this problem but there are thousands out there: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MZZQVY/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MZZQVY/</a> Says "genuine motorola" but the product being sold by the vendor is completely fake, cheap oem copy.
Perhaps if Google had not gotten greedy and made google shopping pay-to-play they would have had a shot at it.<p>Pay-to-play hurts consumers a lot because the search results are tainted by it, and it hurts adoption because google is double dipping with it's own CPC customers.
> Each of those searches is one less that Google can use for serving up ads<p>Those are direct competitors but Google is competing also with anything that keeps me away from the Internet. Given that we have Internet access every time we wish, with a phone, any activity that doesn't generate chances to make a search is lost money for Google. Sleeping, first of all. Make your own list for the rest. We can look at Google Glasses in a new light: a device to eventually be able to serve searches and ads everytime we're awake. No adblock there, I bet.
It is true. Whenever I'm looking for a product, I go to Amazon, because I know I <i>will</i> find products; not spammy sites, fake "review" sites, etc. that I get on Google. If Google did a better job showing product info, I might use them; but right now I'm not.
<i>"You're less likely to find a same-day delivery-ready molecular model set on Google Express, but for everyday needs like groceries and toiletries, the two services are fairly comparable."</i><p>Really? I suppose it's probably possible to order milk and eggs from Amazon Prime, but that's not really their wheelhouse. Google Express seems much closer to a Postmates or Instacart (or, uh, Kozmo) competitor
One huge advantage Google has over Amazon is a much wider global presence. I understand Amazon has transformed shopping in the United States, but it still hasn't reached most of the world. Google has. In many developing markets, a Google analogue of Amazon would be absolutely killer.
The other point that is missed here is that today, as an entrepreneur, it is far easier to make money on Amazon than it is with Google. Particularly if we are talking specifically about ads.