Say goodbye to Shopping tab, the Products tab and the Product Sites tab are coming to Google

Google has replaced its “Shopping” section with two new filters or tabs: the Product Filter and the Product Sites Filter. Both updates are located, just as their predecessor was, in the quick access bar beneath the search engine and will appear whenever you perform a search with purchase intent.

As shown in the image, in the main view of Google Search, the “Sponsored” section will continue to be displayed with a selection of product advertisements promoted by advertisers through Google Ads.

Additionally, if you wish to continue using Google Shopping, you can still do so by accessing its website directly.

How the Product Filter and Product Sites Filter Work

The Product Filter displays modules or listings of products. When you click on one of these products, a new view opens that links both to the merchant’s product page and to the CSS or price comparison service, where you will be able to see offers from other merchants for that same product. This is a “sub-SERP” (Search Entity Viewer).

For its part, the Product Sites Filter will display results from websites that sell the product you have searched for, and in some cases will include carousels showing up to 12 products. Google aims to provide greater visibility and improve comparison experiences for each business, although at present this tab appears less useful than the other.

Likewise, in the main search tab (“All”), modules displaying product listings or product site listings may also appear, along with the option to click on these to be redirected to those pages or filters. Additionally, modules may be displayed featuring product sites whose results have been sourced from online sellers or comparison engines.

Google made changes to its CSS to comply with the DMA

This update was announced by Google during its CSS Summit 2024 event, along with a series of changes affecting its CSS (comparison shopping services) and its SERPs, all with the objective of complying with the DMA (Digital Markets Act), which went into effect on March 6, 2024.

As Sarah Chan, Product Manager at Google, stated during the presentation: “We have made changes in order to offer a more visual and engaging experience for users while complying with digital market laws.” Google representatives assured that their intent is to ensure regulatory compliance while maintaining the highest service standards in relation to comparison services for shopping and merchants.

Specifically, the initiatives announced by Google at its CSS Summit 2024 are divided into three main categories:

• CSS to drive traffic to PDS (Product Detail Pages) through organic placements and product listing ads. This is a more flexible version of the previous policy, which required the ability to complete transactions with the first click outside of Google for shopping apps.
• Creation of new shopping-specific filters that will appear as tabs: on one hand, the Product Filter, which will open a commercial offers and price comparison view, and on the other, the Product Sites Filter, which opens a dedicated view for price comparison offers.
• Visual changes to the search experience.

What are Google’s CSS?

Google’s CSS are comparison shopping services that can either manage product data and campaigns on behalf of merchants or provide tools so that merchants can manage them independently.

To date, merchants have been able to publish ads on Shopping through one or more CSS. However, with these updates and to comply with the DMA, they will also be able to access free product listings and SERP filters.

Furthermore, it should be noted that merchants may also appear organically with their products provided they meet certain requirements: having product pages, and in the case of the product sites filter, being a comparison site.