What you need to know
- Google announced an update for Chrome that brings “Store Reviews” to users on PC.
- Store Reviews brings an AI-generated description box, based on customer reviews for a website from Trust Pilot, ScamAdvisor, Google, and others.
- This is designed to help users make insightful online shopping choices, as this box will try and highlight pricing, product quality, and more.
- Last week, Search received enhanced shopping experiences, such as the official debut of virtual “Try On” and price tracking.
Google is updating its browser early this week, which continues its recent trend of updating online shopping for users.
This morning (July 28), Google announced the launch of “Store Reviews” for its browser, Chrome, in a Keyword update. This update is rolling out for U.S.-based users first today. Users will find its new AI-powered Store Reviews when clicking the “site information” icon on the far left of the address bar in Chrome. Google states users will find “data from Google Shopping and other popular review websites.”
The AI will pull this data to (ideally) provide users with “insightful” information about a store when shopping online.
The short menu that appears will inform you that it is showing you an “AI-generated summary” based on reviews sourced from Trust Pilot, ScamAdvisor, Google, and more. The “What customers say” box is a combination of what people have said on these sites, which will likely involve a mix of the good and the bad. Google states this “description box” will try and throw in other useful tidbits, like shipping experiences, pricing, and “product quality,” per previous customers.
Additionally, Store Reviews in Chrome will detail the overall rating of the store based on data pulled from a wide swath of websites. Users can also directly view these customer reviews themselves to get a clearer picture of the situation.
While this update is likely headed for Google Chrome on PC, the post didn’t state whether or not users on Android should expect this, too. Either way, with the company announcing its launch today (July 28), it should only be a matter of time before it arrives for everyone.
We’ve been expecting this update for Chrome for a while now, ever since it was rumored to be in development last December. What’s been announced by Google is pretty similar to what we saw several months ago. Not only does Google’s “Store Reviews” help shoppers make better choices about the product they’re interested in, but it might also save you from a total scam.
It seems Google’s taken a dual approach to browsing online with Chrome and its AI software, which we might welcome in the long run.
Google’s also been shopping like crazy recently—well, more like it’s trying to help you shop til you drop. An update last week brought new AI-powered shopping experiences to Search, including the experimental exit of Google’s virtual “Try On” feature for phones. Now, users can virtually try on clothes in their size before making a purchase. Additionally, the update brought more to its price alerts with “price tracking.”
Users can set what product they’re looking for, in the appropriate size and color, and track its price. When the price falls within the range you’re comfortable with (and set), you’ll be notified.
