Google Chrome Debuts ‘Online Store Reviews’ Feature for Customers
Google owned Chrome has added a new feature tool to stop scammers.
While online stores like Amazon, Flipkart, BestBuy, and others are well-known for selling items as advertised (unless you’re purchasing something listed by a third-party seller), many smaller and independent websites with a niche lack that same level of trust. Google knows that this is a common pain point for online shoppers and thus decided to roll out a new feature to ease some of those concerns. The feature ‘Store Reviews’ is exactly as it sounds – it aims to provide reviews for online stores, and not necessarily the products you find in there. This essentially automates the due diligence you’d normally have to do yourself by scouring through multiple review sites.
If you’re a seasoned regular online shopper, then you know what it’s like to question a site’s legitimacy. It’s common to come across something cool or something you’ve been searching far and wide, only to be unsure if the site is a scam space. In order to protect the user from this fraud, Google Chrome’s new tool strives to check if a website is legit. While Google already provides details on product reviews in its search results, you’ll now be able to see reviews of the store itself before you buy anything, built right into the Chrome extension.
This feature uses data from Google Shopping and other popular review websites to provide people with helpful insights when shopping on e-commerce sites. So now when you find something you really like online, you’ve got another tool to be certain your order is legit.
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, Scam Advisor, 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.
- Google is updating its browser early this week, which continues its recent trend of updating online shopping for users.
Note: This update is rolling out for U.S.-based users first from July 29 onwards and they will find its new AI-powered Store Reviews when clicking the “site information” icon on the far left of the address bar in Chrome. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) will pull this data to 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, Scam Advisor, 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 information, such as shipping experience, pricing, and product quality.
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. Not only does Google’s Store Reviews help shoppers make better choices about the product they’re interested in but intends to save from a total scam-like incident.
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. 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.
