Google adds price tracking, curbside availability for holiday shopping
Black Friday deals are already available at many online retailers, and Google is adding tools to help compare and track prices across sites.
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Online shopping for the holidays has already kicked off, with Prime Day and early Black Friday deals available this month. And with more shoppers looking for deals online instead of in stores due to the coronavirus pandemic, Google is adding new tools to Google Shopping in the US designed to make it easier to compare and track prices across online and local stores -- essentially trying to take the place of browser extensions like Honey.
To find these features, search for a product on Google (you can be general or specific -- "boots," for instance, or a certain brand or style). Then select the Shopping tab at the top of the page, and click on the exact product you want more information on from the results.
Read more: The best deals and coupons online can be found with these 4 tools
Compare prices across different websites and local stores with a new Google Shopping feature.
Starting Thursday, you'll be able to see price insights -- whether the price asked for a product is high, low or typical, compared with other prices across the web and in nearby stores. On that same page, you'll be able to see different price and purchasing options from both online and local stores, so you can compare. Over the next few days, you'll see whether the item is available for curbside or in-store pickup as well.
If you want to try waiting for a better deal, you can turn on price tracking from the Shopping product page, and get alerts on any item you're considering buying. If you're signed in to your Google account, you'll get notifications through email or in the Google Search app. You can check on all the things you're tracking or unsubscribe from alerts in the My Activity section of your account.
For more on shopping and saving money, check out our list of Chrome extensions that can save you lots of money, how to take advantage of Amazon Warehouse Deals, and all of the deals we collect daily on CNET.
