Why Amazon Will Continue to Lead Google in Retail

Google is playing “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” strategy, by partnering up with Shopify. However, what they are ultimately doing is allowing themselves to be used by other players without truly improving their core offerings.

How consumer-centric is this? How can it possibly be that in the last 5 years when Amazon's product searches have skyrocketed and Google's have declined, Google has concluded that a payment mechanism which didn't exist with its current name for all of 6 months is now the reason? (Shopify Pay -> Shop Pay)

I understand Google feels there is a selection gap. And there is. Google Shopping/Marketplace is inappropriately weighted to large merchants.

However.

The experience is also lackluster and inconsistent when you think about it from the full value chain point of view. I can do more consideration on Amazon than I can on Google. And shop more efficiently.

I think in retail, ultimately Google is not going to win unless it puts its thumb on the scales. Amazon is decried for promoting its own brands and for its ability to be gamed, but it also has a general point of view on what consumers really want. And (generally) delivers on it. What is Google's point of view? Where is the unique and interesting content?

Google is just going to trade one competitor (Amazon) for another future competitor (Shopify). Shopify's Shop app means that you don't need to go back through Google to make another purchase - cutting them out of the loop. Which means for Shopify merchants, Google is a new customer acquisition strategy. That’s fine for them, but what is it for Google? Is that its place in the world now? They keep getting pushed further and further up the funnel.

I think ultimately Google is going to regret not improving its own native capabilities, rather than taking this partner approach. What are they doing to fix normal, shopping-focused natural search queries, not just shopping results? What are they doing to communicate the trust and unbiased nature of the websites they push into results? How do I know content isn't paid for or unduly influenced?

An integrated experience is the only path forward. Without unique content, they are sunk, in my opinion. The thing is, there is an opening even! Amazon is known for a lot of fake reviews. This could be a great opportunity for value-add. I appreciate how hard it is for Google to turn this around, after years of inertia. In the end, what Google is offering is not innovative enough to get consumers to listen. You know when I go to Google? To price compare. Not to buy. Then I go buy somewhere else. In 2020, that's not enough value added.