Google Braces for EU Ruling That May Slow Shopping Ad Boom
Summary
The format lets a marketer place an ad for an item with large images and price information in the prime digital real estate at the top of search results. On mobile phones, Google tinkered even more enhanced PLA versions earlier this year, such as special landing pages for retailers to display goods with generic search queries like "running shoes" or "summer dresses." Vestager is sympathetic to these complaints, and shes expected to issue a remedy that curbs this lopsided arrangement without a rigid prescription, people familiar with the decision have said. During parent Alphabet Inc.s first quarter earnings call, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said local shopping queries in search increased 45 percent in the past year and the number of retailers paying for the service doubled. Some in that industry are watching PLAs expand with concern, nervous about being rendered a "logistics" company, handling product shipments not customer relationships, said Reiffen.