This past week Google reached another milestone – their 20th Birthday. As a Google partner, we are so excited to wish them a very Happy Birthday and share some amazing updates coming soon!
Google’s mission statement is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, and they intend to do just that.
When Google began in 1998: Windows 98 had just been released; everyone had a Furby on their Christmas Wish List; “Titanic” was in theaters; flip phones were a pipe dream; and you were probably spending your Thursday nights watching “Friends” and “ER”. This little-search-engine that could drew from a few million pages to reaching hundreds of billions. It became a catalog of information, a noun & a verb, and a resource.
Last week during a small celebration they revealed some really great updates that will affect consumers and businesses alike.
Everyone has their own Personal Assistant
Radar O’Reilly, from legendary show M*A*S*H was endowed with an apparent extra-sensory perception. He could hear choppers long anyone else and he would appear at the commanding officer’s side before being summoned. Often, he’d finish their sentences and have the paperwork complete in triplicate, before asked. This is the kind of personal assistant we all long for. Now, Google is working to make this dream a reality.
With a more enhanced search ability to predict consumer intent, Google becomes our own Radar knowing what we need before we ask for it. Regardless of where on the buying journey the consumer is, their needs, personal preferences, questions and follow-up questions are simply waiting at their fingertips.
Take a look at this video of Google Assistant during a demo at Google I/O.
It’s Personal:
People are always on a device. Like ALWAYS. At any given moment, 84% of people are shopping for something. And, they aren’t just browsing. These savvy shoppers are becoming more inquisitive, impatient and demanding as ever. They have the ability to research and find the perfect item 24/7. They can be quick to purchase and quick to bail if the site isn’t up to par.
Even when someone isn’t sure what they are looking for, the search feature becomes even more important. They begin to search for ideas or inspiration of what their next purchase should be! They are not just wanting “the best” of something, but the best product or service for them. Just in the past 24 months the increase of people searching “_ for me” has risen 60%. The personal connection of item to consumer looks to only increase.
A Picture tells 1000 Words:
20 years ago Google’s responses were almost exclusively text. In the course of time, it became clear people weren’t just searching for an answer, but also an image. And now, Google is working to enhance image responses with video. Imagine you want to plan a trip to Red Rock Canyon in Nevada! Using featured videos, you can plan the perfect trail, find the right place for a photo, and know even where to park. Visual Journeys with Google will open doors to information like we’ve never experienced. We are all already familiar with the conversations about how you and a friend/spouse were talking about something and then suddenly you started seeing ads for it. This isn’t meant to be a spooky event that makes you question your sanity or safety online. Instead, it’s meant to help enrich your life and help you find products and services that you actually could use instead of a train of those you couldn’t.
So, don’t worry about Big Brother looking over your shoulder or prying into your life. Think of it as a best friend – anticipating your next move, remembering your favorite things, and keeping track of your to do list. Years from now we will look back and wonder how we did things the “old way”.
Happy Birthday Google! And, thanks for sharing the gifts!
