Shopify and Google Cloud have announced a new integration that enables retailers using Shopify’s enterprise retail solution, Commerce Components, to leverage Google-quality search capabilities and AI innovations.

New research from a Google Cloud-commissioned Harris Poll survey found that search abandonment —when a shopper searches for a product on a retailer’s website or mobile app but doesn’t find what they are looking for— costs retailers more than $2 trillion annually globally.

Enterprise brands on Shopify can already access Google Cloud’s Discovery AI solutions directly through Commerce Components. This integration increases access to Google’s advanced search and browsing technologies.

For example, Google Cloud Retail Search providesadvanced query understanding that can produce better results from broad queries, including non-product and semantic searches, to effectively match product attributes with website content for relevant product discovery. 

An AI-powered browse feature uses machine learning to select the optimal ordering of products on a retailer’s e-commerce site once shoppers choose a category, like “women’s jackets” or “kitchenware.” Over time, the AI learns the preferred product ordering for each page on an e-commerce site using historical data, optimising how and what products are shown for accuracy, relevance, and likelihood of making a sale. 

In addition, an AI-driven personalisation capability customises the results when customers search and browse retailers’ websites. The AI uses a customer’s behaviour on an e-commerce site, such as their clicks, cart, purchases, and other information, to determine shopper tastes and preferences. 

A Google Cloud Recommendations AIsolution helps retailers deliver personalised recommendations at scale. Recent upgrades to Recommendations AI can make a retailer’s e-commerce properties even more personalised, dynamic and helpful for individual customers.

“We’re thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership with Google Cloud,” Shopify president, Harley Finkelstein said.

“We’re bringing together the best in commerce with the best in search to solve a complex and costly problem for enterprise retailers—world-class search and discovery for the online store.”  

“Shopify integrating Google Cloud’s Discovery AI technology into its enterprise retail solution puts the power of AI directly into the hands of merchants and brands to solve everyday problems,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “Now, retailers will be able to enhance their digital properties with better product discovery experiences, creating more fulfilling shopping experiences for their customers.”