Google Enters The Ecommerce Wars; Big Brother Is Listening (Maybe) | AdExchanger

Amazon led ecommerce in the dot-com era, while Google dominated search. Google is now pushing shoppable TV by enabling viewers to buy products directly on YouTube using Google Pay with two remote-control clicks. Google claims viewers watch 110 million hours of shopping-related YouTube content daily, supporting the case for shoppable experiences. Google also promotes Gemini as a shopping assistant, aiming to remove friction and close the purchase loop. Separately, regulators are addressing misleading marketing claims about AI-powered “Active Listening” ads that allegedly did not use real-time voice data and instead relied on resold email lists. The FTC rejected consent-by-terms arguments for in-home audio collection, emphasizing honesty with customers.

"At Google's recent Brandcast event, the company announced a feature that lets viewers buy products directly on YouTube using Google Pay, with two clicks on a remote control. Making shoppable TV work is a tall order, Shields says. But Google has as good of a shot as anyone - it claims viewers watch 110 million hours of shopping-related YouTube content a day."

"Meanwhile, last week at Google Marketing Live, the company hyped its Gemini chatbot's growing popularity as a shopping assistant. Google wants Gemini to "remove friction and close the entire loop," said Google shopping lead Ashish Gupta at the event. Looks like the ecommerce wars are back on."

"The broadcaster and other marketing firms will pay nearly $1 million to settle allegations it falsely marketed an AI-powered "Active Listening" ad product that claimed to target consumers based on real-time smart device conversations. According to the FTC, the technology never actually used voice data. Instead, Cox and partners MindSift and 1010 Digital Works allegedly resold email lists purchased from data brokers while pitching the service as privacy-compliant voice targeting."

"In regard to the Cox case, regulators rejected the claim that consumers opted into voice-tracking through the app's terms of service, arguing mandatory click-through agreements do not equal consent for in-home audio collection. "It is a basic rule of business that you need to be honest with your customers, and these companies failed to do that," said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection."

Read at AdExchanger