In a bid to make it easier and quicker for online shoppers to find and purchase products, the tech giant, Google has launched Shopping ads on Google Search.

This is in line with Google’s commitment to support the growth of businesses in Nigeria as online shoppers will now be presented with a range of product alternatives, giving them the opportunity to make informed decisions, via Shopping ads.

Consumers will be able to see more than just text ads as they search for products that they are interested in buying. Shopping ads show photos of the product, the title, price, the store name, reviews and more. These ads give shoppers a strong sense of the product they are buying before they click the ad.

The fast growing youth population, expanding consumer power and increased smartphone penetration have strengthened online commerce in Nigeria. Mobile plays a vital role in the Nigerian online advertising market with about 81% of internet traffic originating from mobile devices. Advertisers are constantly searching for suitable ad solutions to project brands and dominate the mobile market. Google is continually developing new ways to help shoppers find the products that they want, find out where and how to purchase them and connect advertisers to shoppers at moments of shopping intent.

Online shopping has enabled a world of convenience. Whether consumers are looking for a new pair of shoes or accessories for their car, there are numerous online destinations where they can find and browse product options.

According to the Industry Manager, Google West Africa, Adim Isiakpona, “We are excited to be launching Shopping ads in Nigeria over the next few weeks. Shopping ads include photos and prices to help consumers find the products they are looking for and enable advertisers to reach consumers who are looking to buy”.

Also commenting, CEO, Konga group, Nnamdi Ekeh said: “We adopted Google Shopping ads because we understand that in today’s world, images resonate more strongly with people than text. Adding images to ads means people can quickly see if the product is what they are searching for and shorten the time they need to make a purchase decision. Since we’ve started using Shopping Ads we’ve seen solid and consistent results that show it’s working for our consumers and helping them get what they need rapidly and easily. We see Shopping ads as a key part of achieving our goal of reinventing the way people access products in this part of the world”.

Shopping ads are now available in 94 countries and merchants can work with Comparison Shopping Services to advertise their products. There is support available for advertisers to list in multiple languages and for those who sell and ship products to multiple countries, Google will automatically display product prices in the local currency.

The goal is to enable a thriving retail ecosystem and Google believes that success should be mutual through partnerships. To that end, Google continues to partner with advertisers of all sizes, providing them with the tools, technology and scale they need to thrive in today’s digital shopping world.

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.