How to use Google Search and Chrome’s improved shopping tools

Right before the holidays come barreling in at the end of 2023, Google is revamping how deals and products are displayed in Search and Chrome’s shopping UI. It’s simple – here’s how to navigate the new look.

Upfront deals in Google Search

The biggest change for mobile users is how deals are shown in Google Search. When you search “shop deals,” you’ll be greeted by a new carousel of categories, ranging from clothes to pet supplies and everything in between. The focus is on gifts, so anything you might want to get someone would likely be somewhere in these sections:

• Electronics
• Women’s Apparel
• Men’s Apparel
• Home & Garden
• Toys & Games
• Sports & Outdoors
• Health & Beauty
• Travel & Luggage
• Baby & Kids
• Pet Supplies

Tapping any of the tiles in Google’s shopping carousel will bring you to a dedicated page for that category. For instance, choosing Electronics will change your search query to “shop deals in electronics” and offer up search results and sections with specific items. The electronics category will show cellphones, headphones, cameras, etc.

The purpose of this new UI is to bring deals and savings to the forefront, so Google will show you original and markdown prices for each item that appears in the results. You also get an instant estimate on the shipping date and the retailer it’s available from.

1. In Google Chrome or the Search app, type “shop deals.”
2. Choose a category.
3. Scroll through available deals and click any of them to shop that item.

Chrome builds on price tracking with stats

Chrome introduced us to a native price-tracking tool just about a year ago, and to be honest, we forgot about it. We knew of its existence, but it isn’t something that found its way into our regular Chrome usage, partly because it felt a little incomplete for shopping in general in Google Chrome and Search.

Hopefully, Chrome’s new Price Insights feature will flesh that tool out with more comprehensive information about products and their history.

Here’s how it works – whenever you’re shopping on a supported website and click on an item, you’ll see a Shopping Insights label appear in the address bar. Clicking it will open the side panel in Chrome with, well, some insight.

That side panel will show you the typical price of the item at the top and the price history throughout the past few months – something previously only available through extensions. You’ll also get the option to track the price of that item and save it to your side panel for an easier time returning to it. Google’s existing shopping tool – price tracking – also has a slightly new look to complement the new tool.

Both of these features are rolling out to users now, though we haven’t been able to access Price Insights on Chrome for desktop yet, only Search’s deals UI on the Pixel 8.