The last things I bought online were a Nexus One phone charger and a bike cover. And I’m currently in the market for a new netbook, so I’m spending a lot of time reading reviews and forums about them.

I’m one of a growing number of Australians who are doing their shopping and researching on the web, because of the convenience it offers, and the ability to research and compare products to make sure I’m getting the right product at the right price. Our data shows that retail-related searches on google.com.au are up around 40% year on year, so this is a trend that can’t be ignored.

However, if you’re a regular online shopper like me, I think you’ll agree that it’s not always easy to find what you’re looking for online. It’s frustrating when I know that a site should have what I want to buy ... if only I could find it - the online version of being ignored by a sales assistant in the offline world. Maybe I’m spelling the word wrong - maybe I’m not searching for it in the way that the company describes the product. Either way, it’s disappointing, and it means Australian retailers are missing out on sales - both offline and online.

Today we’re announcing Google Commerce Search for Australian online retailers, and we’re hoping this product will address that challenge. Commerce Search helps visitors to retail sites browse, navigate, and search in the way they’re used to with Google search - enjoying many of the latest search innovations like Google Suggest. It’s more than 10 years of Google search innovation and R&D, with the power of cloud computing behind it, applied to e-commerce site search. Commerce Search can improve the performance of sites with e-commerce checkout options, and those that simply allow people to browse and compare, all in a very cost effective way.

We first launched Commerce Search to online retailers in the US and UK in November of last year, and retailers that have put it on their site are reporting increased conversions, sales, time on site, average order size, and improved loyalty and satisfaction.

We hope that making our infrastructure, skills and experience available will help boost Australia’s important retail sector, making it even easier for Aussies to find what they’re looking for and shop online, and leaving retailers free to focus on what they do best - retailing.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Google Commerce Search, contact your Google account manager, fill in this form, or reach out to local Google resellers HEDLOC or Neon Stingray.

Posted by Will Easton, Head of Retail, Technology and Consumer Products
This is a cross post from the Official Google Australia Blog

Australian consumers are increasingly going online to research and purchase financial products and services. In recognition of this trend, award-winning insurance company, Allianz, has used an innovative TV and search marketing campaign to attract consumers to its online offering.

The insurance company's most recent TV commercial continues its creative campaign of using genuine customer testimonials. It features Saskia, who found Allianz by searching on Google, and who likes the fact that buying insurance online fits her lifestyle. Allianz offer 10% discount for customers who buy online.

Allianz compliments the TV commercial with a search marketing campaign to capture customers at point of relevance. Used in conjunction with an offline campaign, AdWords can provide real-time measurability of how that campaign is performing.



Posted by Mel Silva, Head of Finance Industry Sales, Google Australia and NZ
Editor's Note: This is a partial cross post from the Google Australia Blog