Three Ways Google is Making Money Through Online Retailing
There was a time, not too long ago, when Google was simply a search engine. People go to the website to find information about restaurants they want to dine in, or to find the nearest hotel in a place where they’re headed.
But these days, Google is more than a search engine. It is now an online retailing platform, too. The Internet giant is not only monetizing travel information but also offering direct bookings through services such as Google Flights as well as Google Hotel Finder. With these services, Google is collecting revenue from plane and hotel bookings made instead of simply getting revenues from ads.
Google Flights
Google Flights has practically eliminated the need for search-aggregation sites like Skyscanner as well as travel websites like Priceline. The online flight search service boasts of a clean interface and quick search results.
Flights is also valued for transparency as it provides details regarding airlines’ on-time performance and carry-on baggage fees. In effect, it is a more reliable source of information than the websites of airlines.
But perhaps its most important value to customers is that it provides information on the best flight deals. Through Flights, travelers can find the best deal in terms of price and flight time.
Google Hotel Finder
The concept behind Google Flights is almost the same as the idea for Hotel Finder. With this service, customers can find the best hotels around them and choose the best deals. What’s great with Google Hotel Finder is that customers can keep track of prices for hotels in the area where they are to stay, with the service giving real-time notifications.
Google Shopping Actions
The search engine giant has not only monetized travel information. Beyond flight and hotel bookings, it has also been making money through its Shopping Actions program. Shoppers who are referred from Google to retailers like Walmart and The Home Depot actually give the Internet giant a slice of the transaction revenue.