With the holiday season in full swing, many people are finding themselves opting for online purchases to complete their extensive gift lists, rather than the traditional last-minute crowded shopping mall hunt. Despite being incredibly convenient, online shopping comes with its fair share of challenges, even if sites likeGmail can help you track packages with ease. Even so, the process of finding a specific product and where to purchase it, timing up the delivery and, of course, the dreaded product return when you inevitably gamble on a last-second gift can make online shopping a bit of a hassle.
In ablog posttoday, Danielle Buckley, Google’s Director of Product and Consumer Shopping, came to the rescue and shared a few different ways customers can use Google Search and Gmail to make the most of their online holiday shopping this year. According to Buckley, search results for terms such as “next-day and overnight shipping” see a spike each December, with the phrase “last-minute gifts” increasing as much as 800% from last December compared to November. With so much desperation being shown as the big day approaches, Google’s holiday shopping features are here to quell some of that online shopping anxiety.
The first feature Google is bringing to users' attention is the ability to filter for products with quick delivery times, because what good is a gift that comes in January? Starting this week, users using Search on mobile or desktop in the US will be able to filter products that will arrive by December 24. The feature will be available via a button that says “Get it by Dec 24” and will continue as the “Get it fast” button once the holidays are over. This will also help users who are open to shopping in-person, as the filter will display products in stock nearby as well as ones they ship fast for delivery.
Google is also using Gmail to help people track packages, complete with updates directly on shopping emails on mobile and desktop inboxes. The company also confirmed that it will be rolling out a feature that bumps emails with package tracking information to the top of users' inboxes as soon as the delivery date changes. While it might not be as exciting as tracking a magical flying sleigh, US users can opt into package tracking from their Gmail settings for automatic order status updates with eligible tracking numbers.
As Buckely pointed out in the blog post, sometimes thatbig ticket itemisn’t as loved as you figured it would be. In that case, a product return is usually the best option. Google is making it easier to find merchant’s return policies by highlighting a link to eligible return guidelines at the top of shopping-related emails in Gmail. Once again, the feature is available across mobile and desktop devices for those in the US.
All of these features from Google are hoping to ensure a relatively stress-free shopping experience, even if there are only a few things left to check off your list. Happy (online) shopping!
