4 ms·

As they've focused more and more on third-party resellers and rebranded/white labeled products their store experience has gone down-hill. Search for something

As they've focused more and more on third-party resellers and rebranded/white labeled products their store experience has gone down-hill. Search for something specific like "white nike hightops" and maybe 30% of the results will be what you are looking for. Even if you navigate through their categories to "Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry : Men : Shoes : Athletic : White", 20% of the results are not white athletic shoes for men. The relevance tanks even further if you're searching for specific computer components -- I have fled to NewEgg or NCIX for this purpose.

amelius 9y ago
I think Google is failing here really. They should be able to find the exact product. I should be able to click on an image, and select "Find stores in my area selling this product", or they could find a nearby internet shop so shipping is fast. They should be able to replicate the same experience as Amazon, and make it better, and apply it to the whole internet. I don't understand what is taking Google so long to figure this out. This is where the money seems to be. (Otoh ... maybe they are afraid of becoming too large.)
- reaperducer 9y ago
  >I think Google is failing here really. They should be able to find the exact product. I should be able to click on an image, and select "Find stores in my area selling this product Google already does that. At least in my area. Type in a search. Click "Shopping" and it shows stores nearby that could have the item. It's not 100% perfect because it'll be decades before retailers allow Google to monitor their inventory in real-time, but it at least gives me leads, especially when I'm in an unfamiliar city.
sib 9y ago
<Search for something specific like "white nike hightops" and maybe 30% of the results will be what you are looking for.> While I understand your frustration, there is an explanation. You are thinking of search & filtering as some sort of mathematical / boolean algebra process (hey, it's ok, I'm a CS grad). Amazon is thinking about it as, "what does our show show that customers who have searched for [white nike hightops] have actually purchased in the past?" This is their search fitness function and they don't think they are wrong. I agree on the broader point that 3p sellers and counterfeit products along with spam listings are a mess.
- gertef 9y ago
  You may be assuming intent where there is really only incompetence
  - sib 9y ago
    <Former Amazon employee, although not in search. It's intent.>

amelius 9y ago

I think Google is failing here really. They should be able to find the exact product. I should be able to click on an image, and select "Find stores in my area selling this product", or they could find a nearby internet shop so shipping is fast. They should be able to replicate the same experience as Amazon, and make it better, and apply it to the whole internet. I don't understand what is taking Google so long to figure this out. This is where the money seems to be. (Otoh ... maybe they are afraid of becoming too large.)

reaperducer 9y ago
>I think Google is failing here really. They should be able to find the exact product. I should be able to click on an image, and select "Find stores in my area selling this product Google already does that. At least in my area. Type in a search. Click "Shopping" and it shows stores nearby that could have the item. It's not 100% perfect because it'll be decades before retailers allow Google to monitor their inventory in real-time, but it at least gives me leads, especially when I'm in an unfamiliar city.

sib 9y ago

<Search for something specific like "white nike hightops" and maybe 30% of the results will be what you are looking for.> While I understand your frustration, there is an explanation. You are thinking of search & filtering as some sort of mathematical / boolean algebra process (hey, it's ok, I'm a CS grad). Amazon is thinking about it as, "what does our show show that customers who have searched for [white nike hightops] have actually purchased in the past?" This is their search fitness function and they don't think they are wrong. I agree on the broader point that 3p sellers and counterfeit products along with spam listings are a mess.

gertef 9y ago
You may be assuming intent where there is really only incompetence
- sib 9y ago
  <Former Amazon employee, although not in search. It's intent.>