{"id":732,"date":"2020-01-15T17:24:05","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T15:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/?p=732"},"modified":"2020-01-15T17:24:05","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T15:24:05","slug":"google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/blog\/google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Google buys Pointy to bring SMB store inventory online","raw":"Google buys Pointy to bring SMB store inventory online"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"subhead\">The company offers an elegant solution to the challenge of getting local merchant inventory into search results and ads.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-content\">\n<div class=\"sharing_content_channel\">\n<div class=\"sharing_controls_startpoint_content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Google is\u00a0acquiring\u00a0Irish startup\u00a0Pointy, the companies announced Tuesday. Pointy has solved a problem that vexed startups for more than a decade: <strong>how to bring small, independent retailer inventory online.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Pointy had raised less than $20 million so it probably wasn\u2019t an expensive buy for Google. But it could have a significant impact for the future of product search.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Complements local inventory feeds.\u00a0<\/strong>This acquisition will help Google offer more local inventory data in Google My Business (GMB) listings, knowledge panels and ads especially. It complements Google Shopping Campaigns\u2019\u00a0local inventory ads, which are largely utilized by enterprise merchants and first launched in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>Numerous companies over the last decade tried to solve the challenge of how to bring small business product inventory online. However, most failed because the majority of SMB retailers lack sophisticated inventory management systems that can generate product feeds and integrate with APIs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Pointy POS hardware<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/figz\/wp-content\/seloads\/2020\/01\/pointy_box_circular_shadow.png\" class=\"wp-image-327575 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-327575\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/figz\/wp-content\/seloads\/2020\/01\/pointy_box_circular_shadow.png\" alt=\"\"><\/noscript><figcaption>Source: Pointy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>How Pointy works.\u00a0<\/strong>The company created a simple way to get local store inventory online and then showcase that inventory in organic search results or paid search ads. It utilizes a low-cost\u00a0hardware device that attaches to a point-of-sale barcode scanner (see image above). It\u2019s compatible with multiple other POS systems, including Square.<\/p>\n<p>Once the device is installed, it captures every product sold by the merchant and then creates a digital record of products, which can be pushed out in paid or organic results. (The company also helps small retailers set up local inventory ads using the data.) Pointy also creates local inventory pages for each store and product, which are optimized and can rank for product searches.<\/p>\n<p>Pointy doesn\u2019t actually understand real-time inventory. Cleverly, however, it uses machine learning\u00a0algorithms to estimate this by measuring product purchase frequency. The system assumes local retailers are going to stock frequently purchased items. That\u2019s an oversimplification, but is essentially how it works.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why we care.<\/strong>\u00a0The Pointy acquisition will likely help Google in at least three ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Provide more structured, local inventory data for consumers to find in Search.<\/li>\n<li>Generate more advertising revenue over time from independent retailers.<\/li>\n<li>Help Google more effectively compete with Amazon in product search.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One of the reasons that people shop at Amazon is because they can find products they\u2019re looking for. They often don\u2019t know where to find a particular product locally. But if more inventory data becomes available, the more people may opt to buy from local stores instead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online-327566?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed-main\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"<h2 class=\"subhead\">The company offers an elegant solution to the challenge of getting local merchant inventory into search results and ads.<\/h2>\r\n<div class=\"body-content\">\r\n<div class=\"sharing_content_channel\">\r\n<div class=\"sharing_controls_startpoint_content\"><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nGoogle is\u00a0acquiring\u00a0Irish startup\u00a0Pointy, the companies announced Tuesday. Pointy has solved a problem that vexed startups for more than a decade: <strong>how to bring small, independent retailer inventory online.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Pointy had raised less than $20 million so it probably wasn\u2019t an expensive buy for Google. But it could have a significant impact for the future of product search.\r\n\r\n<strong>Complements local inventory feeds.\u00a0<\/strong>This acquisition will help Google offer more local inventory data in Google My Business (GMB) listings, knowledge panels and ads especially. It complements Google Shopping Campaigns\u2019\u00a0local inventory ads, which are largely utilized by enterprise merchants and first launched in 2013.\r\n\r\nNumerous companies over the last decade tried to solve the challenge of how to bring small business product inventory online. However, most failed because the majority of SMB retailers lack sophisticated inventory management systems that can generate product feeds and integrate with APIs.\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Pointy POS hardware<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img class=\"wp-image-327575\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/figz\/wp-content\/seloads\/2020\/01\/pointy_box_circular_shadow.png\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>Source: Pointy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<strong>How Pointy works.\u00a0<\/strong>The company created a simple way to get local store inventory online and then showcase that inventory in organic search results or paid search ads. It utilizes a low-cost\u00a0hardware device that attaches to a point-of-sale barcode scanner (see image above). It\u2019s compatible with multiple other POS systems, including Square.\r\n\r\nOnce the device is installed, it captures every product sold by the merchant and then creates a digital record of products, which can be pushed out in paid or organic results. (The company also helps small retailers set up local inventory ads using the data.) Pointy also creates local inventory pages for each store and product, which are optimized and can rank for product searches.\r\n\r\nPointy doesn\u2019t actually understand real-time inventory. Cleverly, however, it uses machine learning\u00a0algorithms to estimate this by measuring product purchase frequency. The system assumes local retailers are going to stock frequently purchased items. That\u2019s an oversimplification, but is essentially how it works.\r\n\r\n<strong>Why we care.<\/strong>\u00a0The Pointy acquisition will likely help Google in at least three ways:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Provide more structured, local inventory data for consumers to find in Search.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Generate more advertising revenue over time from independent retailers.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Help Google more effectively compete with Amazon in product search.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nOne of the reasons that people shop at Amazon is because they can find products they\u2019re looking for. They often don\u2019t know where to find a particular product locally. But if more inventory data becomes available, the more people may opt to buy from local stores instead.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online-327566?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed-main\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false,"raw":""},"author":5,"featured_media":733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_nl_post_content":"<h2 class=\"subhead\">The company offers an elegant solution to the challenge of getting local merchant inventory into search results and ads.<\/h2>\r\n<div class=\"body-content\">\r\n<div class=\"sharing_content_channel\">\r\n<div class=\"sharing_controls_startpoint_content\"><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nGoogle is\u00a0acquiring\u00a0Irish startup\u00a0Pointy, the companies announced Tuesday. Pointy has solved a problem that vexed startups for more than a decade: <strong>how to bring small, independent retailer inventory online.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Pointy had raised less than $20 million so it probably wasn\u2019t an expensive buy for Google. But it could have a significant impact for the future of product search.\r\n\r\n<strong>Complements local inventory feeds.\u00a0<\/strong>This acquisition will help Google offer more local inventory data in Google My Business (GMB) listings, knowledge panels and ads especially. It complements Google Shopping Campaigns\u2019\u00a0local inventory ads, which are largely utilized by enterprise merchants and first launched in 2013.\r\n\r\nNumerous companies over the last decade tried to solve the challenge of how to bring small business product inventory online. However, most failed because the majority of SMB retailers lack sophisticated inventory management systems that can generate product feeds and integrate with APIs.\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Pointy POS hardware<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img class=\"wp-image-327575\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/figz\/wp-content\/seloads\/2020\/01\/pointy_box_circular_shadow.png\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>Source: Pointy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<strong>How Pointy works.\u00a0<\/strong>The company created a simple way to get local store inventory online and then showcase that inventory in organic search results or paid search ads. It utilizes a low-cost\u00a0hardware device that attaches to a point-of-sale barcode scanner (see image above). It\u2019s compatible with multiple other POS systems, including Square.\r\n\r\nOnce the device is installed, it captures every product sold by the merchant and then creates a digital record of products, which can be pushed out in paid or organic results. (The company also helps small retailers set up local inventory ads using the data.) Pointy also creates local inventory pages for each store and product, which are optimized and can rank for product searches.\r\n\r\nPointy doesn\u2019t actually understand real-time inventory. Cleverly, however, it uses machine learning\u00a0algorithms to estimate this by measuring product purchase frequency. The system assumes local retailers are going to stock frequently purchased items. That\u2019s an oversimplification, but is essentially how it works.\r\n\r\n<strong>Why we care.<\/strong>\u00a0The Pointy acquisition will likely help Google in at least three ways:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Provide more structured, local inventory data for consumers to find in Search.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Generate more advertising revenue over time from independent retailers.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Help Google more effectively compete with Amazon in product search.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nOne of the reasons that people shop at Amazon is because they can find products they\u2019re looking for. They often don\u2019t know where to find a particular product locally. But if more inventory data becomes available, the more people may opt to buy from local stores instead.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online-327566?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed-main\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a>","_nl_post_name":"google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online","_nl_post_excerpt":"","_nl_post_title":"Google buys Pointy to bring SMB store inventory online","_en_post_content":"<h2 class=\"subhead\">The company offers an elegant solution to the challenge of getting local merchant inventory into search results and ads.<\/h2>\r\n<div class=\"body-content\">\r\n<div class=\"sharing_content_channel\">\r\n<div class=\"sharing_controls_startpoint_content\"><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nGoogle is\u00a0acquiring\u00a0Irish startup\u00a0Pointy, the companies announced Tuesday. Pointy has solved a problem that vexed startups for more than a decade: <strong>how to bring small, independent retailer inventory online.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Pointy had raised less than $20 million so it probably wasn\u2019t an expensive buy for Google. But it could have a significant impact for the future of product search.\r\n\r\n<strong>Complements local inventory feeds.\u00a0<\/strong>This acquisition will help Google offer more local inventory data in Google My Business (GMB) listings, knowledge panels and ads especially. It complements Google Shopping Campaigns\u2019\u00a0local inventory ads, which are largely utilized by enterprise merchants and first launched in 2013.\r\n\r\nNumerous companies over the last decade tried to solve the challenge of how to bring small business product inventory online. However, most failed because the majority of SMB retailers lack sophisticated inventory management systems that can generate product feeds and integrate with APIs.\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Pointy POS hardware<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img class=\"wp-image-327575\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/figz\/wp-content\/seloads\/2020\/01\/pointy_box_circular_shadow.png\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>Source: Pointy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<strong>How Pointy works.\u00a0<\/strong>The company created a simple way to get local store inventory online and then showcase that inventory in organic search results or paid search ads. It utilizes a low-cost\u00a0hardware device that attaches to a point-of-sale barcode scanner (see image above). It\u2019s compatible with multiple other POS systems, including Square.\r\n\r\nOnce the device is installed, it captures every product sold by the merchant and then creates a digital record of products, which can be pushed out in paid or organic results. (The company also helps small retailers set up local inventory ads using the data.) Pointy also creates local inventory pages for each store and product, which are optimized and can rank for product searches.\r\n\r\nPointy doesn\u2019t actually understand real-time inventory. Cleverly, however, it uses machine learning\u00a0algorithms to estimate this by measuring product purchase frequency. The system assumes local retailers are going to stock frequently purchased items. That\u2019s an oversimplification, but is essentially how it works.\r\n\r\n<strong>Why we care.<\/strong>\u00a0The Pointy acquisition will likely help Google in at least three ways:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Provide more structured, local inventory data for consumers to find in Search.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Generate more advertising revenue over time from independent retailers.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Help Google more effectively compete with Amazon in product search.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nOne of the reasons that people shop at Amazon is because they can find products they\u2019re looking for. They often don\u2019t know where to find a particular product locally. But if more inventory data becomes available, the more people may opt to buy from local stores instead.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online-327566?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed-main\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a>","_en_post_name":"google-buys-pointy-to-bring-smb-store-inventory-online","_en_post_excerpt":"","_en_post_title":"Google buys Pointy to bring SMB store inventory online","edit_language":"nl","footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[51,50],"class_list":["post-732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retail","tag-google","tag-retail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zephyrgroup.eu\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}