Google has today launched the new look for its Product Search facility, changing its name to Google Shopping.
Initially for its American audience only, the change also marks a big change in Google's money-making ambitions, as only sellers who pay to be listed will be featured.
But Google obviously skirted around this fact when it made the announcement on its blog.
Sameer Samat, vice president of product management for Google Shopping, said: “This is about delivering the best answers for people searching for products and helping connect merchants with the right customers.”
Danny Sullivan, writing on Searchenginewatch.com, was more sceptical about whether Google's move to an all-paid model for its product listings would provide the better, more trustworthy data to users which the search engine claims.
Currently, limited tests are being carried out on Google.com, and show that the existing Google product listing advertisements will be merged with Google Product Search results.
Sullivan believes there will be a long timescale for the full roll-out of the service, and when he asked Samat whether he felt the change to all-paid listings would make them less comprehensive than at present, was told: “We want all kinds of merchants to participate.” But Samat also said: “It
