Google fights back against Amazon

No, Google's biggest competitor is not Bing.

Nor Facebook. 

By Google's own admission, it's Amazon.

And the competition between the two has become increasingly evident. Today, about half of all product searches on the internet begin on Amazon.com instead of Google, (up from around a third just 3.5 years ago).

To win back some of those valuable searches Google is partnering with retailers who compete against Amazon with a new program called 'Shopping Actions'.

Shopping Actions allows retailers to list their products in Google Search, the Google Express shopping service, and Google Assistant found in Android phones and Google Home smart speakers.

The idea is to make it easier for retailers to reach shoppers in every way they shop online plus make it easier for shoppers to find and add everything they want to a single universal shopping cart.

Google makes its money by taking a cut on sales made through Shopping Actions.

It seems to be working. Target's Google Express shopping baskets increased nearly 20% after joining the program.

The program is now being opened up to additional retailers but at this stage is only available in the USA.

Check out Google's announcement about Shopping Actions here.