Google is introducing a new type of ad unit that will allow advertisers to display shoppable images on publisher websites.
Shoppable image ads will be displayed on curated content from Google’s publishing partners.
For advertisers, this is an opportunity to get their product in front of the eyes of targeted audiences.
According to Google, a third of holiday shoppers search for images before going out to shop.
“One-third of holiday shoppers said they searched for images before they went in store to shop. The growth of “street style” and online influencers all show the movement towards looking at lifestyle images for visual inspiration.”
Google says this new ad unit will benefit publishers by allowing them to offer shoppers a chance to purchase seamlessly.
“For example, a shopper might visit her favorite blog like This Time Tomorrow, and see a selection of visually similar offers after clicking the tag icon in the image.”
Shoppable image ads will be rolled out to a select number of publishers at first, with more to be added over the next year.
Eventually, Google plans to roll this ad unit out to Image Search results.
See below for an example of what stoppable image ads will look like on a publisher site and a mockup of what they may end up looking like in Image Search.
