In a move that could put it on a more competitive footing with Google shopping functions, Amazon is beta testing a new version of search that will turn up select products sold outside its platform.
Products that come up in the search that Amazon or its marketplace sellers don’t sell will include a See More link to the brand’s website, making it easy for customers to click through so they can consider and purchase them, the company reported in a blog post.
Amazon has made the upgraded search live on the Amazon Shopping app for a subset of customers in the United States. The company pointed out that the expanded search will roll out to more U.S. customers and incorporate more brands based on user feedback.
“We’re continuously working to expand selection and make shopping even more convenient for customers,” Rajiv Mehta, Amazon’s VP of search and conversational shopping, stated as part of the blog post. “We’re testing bringing more selection and brands into our search results to help customers find even more of what they want and further improve our shopping experience for customers.”
