At Retail Conference, Google Dangles Shiny New Visual Ad Format

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Photo by Michael Henry.

The visual-first ads are here. Google announced at the retail conference Shoptalk on Wednesday that it is launching shoppable ads in image search, propelling the search giant into the center of the visual zeitgeist that has made Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat hot targets for advertisers.

The new ad formats will help retailers connect with consumers as digital-first consumers flock to visual media as means of product discovery. The ads will allow advertisers to promote multiple products at once, displaying prices and vendors when consumers click on or hover over them.

“Awareness is about being there when the consumer is looking for you,” said Daniel Alegre, president, retail shopping and payments, at Google, pointing to a changing customer journey in which digital is central and visual elements are increasingly displacing a conventional focus on text.

Joe Zappa is Street Fight’s managing editor.

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Joe Zappa is the Managing Editor of Street Fight. He has spearheaded the newsroom's editorial operations since 2018. Joe is an ad/martech veteran who has covered the space since 2015. You can contact him at [email protected]