Google is rolling out a raft of new tools and features for retail and travel enterprises in order to help them promote themselves and their products more effectively via search results and ads. Google said that the update would prepare marketers for the upcoming holiday season and boost their reach and traffic from mobile customers.

In a Google AdWords blog post outlining the new changes, Google revealed that searches for shopping and travel on smartphones had already soared by nearly 30 per cent year-on-year, while mobile conversion rates had increased by 10 per cent during the first quarter of 2016. With this “new normal” in mind, Google said that it wants to connect even more brands and businesses with potential customers.

The tech giant outlined four new features that it believes will do just that – Hotel Smart Filters, Hotel Deals, Hotel Tips and Flights Price Tracking. This means that users will now be able to use filters for ratings and prices, access a “Deal” label when searching for a hotel to find discounted prices, get tips for savings by moving dates and track fare changes and prices in Google Flights.

Showcase Shopping

On the retail side, Google is launching a new ad format called Showcase Shopping, which promises to provide a more relevant search experience for end users. Rather than viewing single results, marketers can present users with a gallery of related products.

Google said that the changes reflect the fact that more than 40 per cent of searches related to Google were broad terms such as “women’s athletic clothing.” The new ad format will be available for all marketers running Shopping Campaigns in the UK, US and Australia in the coming weeks. Merchants will also be able to access a premium version to deliver a more bespoke offering for their products.

That’s not all, as Google is also making it easier for users to make purchases on YouTube. Research shows that 47 per cent of people in the US now use clips on the video-sharing site to inform their buying decisions every month. Following on from the arrival of TruView for shopping, retailers will now be able to use a companion banner ad and product picker for greater control over their branding.