Essential Black Friday Tool: Google Launches Desktop Store Inventory Checker

Just in time for the hectic shopping season, Google has rolled out a desktop app that many people venturing out on Black Friday will love – the ability to check if items are actually in stock at the store location they are going to!!

For the people who want to plan their attack on Black Friday Google’s desktop availability checker should prove invaluable.

Google Retail Advertising Blog said it was “pleased to announce the launch of local availability results in Google Product Search on desktop. Search for a product and click on the “nearby stores” label, and you can easily find a list of stores to call to check availability, and in many cases, information about whether the product is in stock nearby”.

“Our vision was simple: partner with retailers to organize all of the world’s local product information.”

No doubt Google is also hoping these retailer advertisers will love this enough to spend more money, but when combined with the mobile app to check if they have sold out while you were getting there it is very handy.

“Retailers can submit local inventory data directly to Google via a data feed, or they can use adaptors for their retail software built by JDA Software Corp., Epicor Corp. or Oracle Corp. to provide the data”, Internet Retailer noted.

“The service, which is free for retailers, is open to merchants of all sizes. However, many on board now are large retailers with the sophisticated inventory management systems needed to provide Google with instant stock updates. Google says it will soon launch tools to help small and medium-sized businesses more easily share real-time inventory data so they can use the service as well,” Internet Retail reported.

If you are going to battle the crowds you may as well go armed. Thanks Google