Google’s new Universal Cart tracks prices on items you want now – plus 3 other tricks
Google unveiled two new shopping tools ahead of the holiday buying season. Here’s what to know.
Last week's Prime Day marked the start of the early holiday shopping season, and Google has introduced new tools to assist online shoppers. Two such tools are the When to Buy Guide and Universal Cart. The When to Buy Guide uses historical promotional patterns, search trends, and discount data to advise shoppers on the best times to purchase specific items. Meanwhile, the Universal Cart allows users to save their product progress across Google, ensuring they don't start from scratch when returning or checking out.
The Universal Cart is powered by Google's Shopping Graph, which features over 60 billion continually refreshed product listings. This means the cart can automatically notify users of price drops or restocks without requiring additional effort. Additionally, the Universal Cart can help users maximize the benefits of their payment options, such as card perks, and identify relevant promo codes to save more money.
It seamlessly integrates with Google Pay and can transfer items to merchant carts for a complete purchase on the merchant's site. Users will receive comprehensive order communication and customer support from the merchant, making their shopping experience more convenient and efficient.
Google also introduced the When to Buy Guide, a new report that analyzes promotional patterns, search trends, and discount data across US merchants. This year's insights reveal optimal purchasing times for popular items, such as signature scents, handbags, and travel gear. Google is focusing on two fronts for the future of commerce: developing agentic capabilities that act on users' behalf and creating practical tools to give shoppers confidence and control.
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