Google has officially announced the addition of a new filter to its shopping search results, allowing users to view products offered exclusively by small businesses.
As of earlier this month, businesses have been able to identify themselves as small businesses in their Google Business Profile or Merchant Center account. Now, Google has officially rolled out a way for searchers to filter search results by this attribute.
The launch of this feature closely followed the introduction of the small business attribute, but Google has now confirmed its official rollout.
Once the small business filter appears for shopping-related queries, users can tap it to filter the results and view products exclusively from small businesses. This new feature aims to make it easier for U.S. shoppers to discover and support small businesses.
Google stated, “84% of people say supporting local and/or small businesses is important to them. So we’re making it easy for U.S. shoppers to discover and shop at small businesses this weekend and beyond.”
For small businesses, it may be beneficial to add the small business attribute to their profile. This could increase visibility, allowing searchers who want to support small businesses to discover and potentially purchase from their business rather than a larger retailer.