Google's "In Stock Nearby" Link Points Mobile Shoppers In The Right Direction
It's half awesome, half scary. There's a line where helpful because downright invasive, and Google seems to always be creeping up on it. First came Buzz, a new social network that many found too invasive due to the auto-add feature and the extremely small "disable" button at the bottom of Gmail. Now, mobile Google searches for products can actually find where you're at and look for those items at nearby stores.
The "In Stock Nearby" link now shows up on mobile product searches within Google, and it'll use your phone's GPS/data line in order to find out your location and then hit up nearby stores to see if the product you're hunting for is in stock. We love the idea, and we actually aren't bothered by the privacy aspect. You'll have to confirm to let your phone tell Google where you're at, and you can also search a different location manually should you choose.
Currently, Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm are the only stores loaded in the database, but we're sure more will come onboard soon. We tested it out when shopping for a Call of Duty game, and sure enough, it was able to lead us right to a copy at a local Best Buy. We can't wait until more retailers get in here, and better still, Craigslist ads so that we can hunt down used copies. You're on those updates now, right Google?
The "In Stock Nearby" link now shows up on mobile product searches within Google, and it'll use your phone's GPS/data line in order to find out your location and then hit up nearby stores to see if the product you're hunting for is in stock. We love the idea, and we actually aren't bothered by the privacy aspect. You'll have to confirm to let your phone tell Google where you're at, and you can also search a different location manually should you choose.
Currently, Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm are the only stores loaded in the database, but we're sure more will come onboard soon. We tested it out when shopping for a Call of Duty game, and sure enough, it was able to lead us right to a copy at a local Best Buy. We can't wait until more retailers get in here, and better still, Craigslist ads so that we can hunt down used copies. You're on those updates now, right Google?
