General
Google will add a new option to its Maps app on 23 November: users will then be able to assess how much time they will lose at the cash register.
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Despite earlier indications that Google would just alter its Google Shopping approach to comply with European legislation, it has now decided to appeal the monster fine.
Google announced it will alter its search engines to no longer give Google Shopping results an edge over the competition. It has until the end of September to follow through on its statement.
Food
Amazon’s drastic price cuts for Whole Foods are merely a first step in a larger conquest plan. Innovation is the real key, analysts feel.
Walmart has joined forces with Google to lure in the digital consumer. Starting in September, the American store giant will allow its customers to use Google Home to place spoken orders through their smartphone and also get them delivered at home.
m-Tail
According to the European Commission, Google took advantage of its market position to more prominently feature its own products in the search results. The fine is an astonishing 2.42 billion euro.
Google will possibly get a huge fine from the European Commission, following a seven-year investigation. The internet giant allegedly benefited its Google Shopping results in its own search results.
Electronics
Google intends to invest 1 billion won (830 million euro) in technology firm LG’s OLED screen production. These are used in smartphones, but are often in short supply.
Swiss Swatch Group is currently developing its own smartwatch OS to rival Apple and Google’s operating systems, requiring less battery power and better data protection.
Google wants to transform its Trusted Stores program into Customer Reviews and it hopes web shops will ask their customers for more reviews to help improve’s scores on Google.
In collaboration with BMW and GAP, Google displayed several new augmented reality applications at the CES convention in Las Vegas, allowing users to check products in virtual reality.
Automotive
Google has moved its car division into a separate branch called Waymo to investigate the opportunities for a self-driving car. Up until now, the research was part of Google X.
Google is set to open a pop-up store in New York to sell its own hardware. The timing is no coincidence, as the company has just recently launched several new devices.
Google's parent company, Alphabet, has pulled the plug on Project Ara. That was meant to be a modular smartphone, aimed at reducing electronics waste.
Google will open a store in London where consumers can buy merchandise from famous Youtubers. The Creator Store will open next month and operate out of Google's London offices.
Online department store Amazonis by far the world's most valuable retail, worth nearly 99 billion dollars. That value puts Jeff Bezos' company in seventh spot of the Brandz Top 100 Edition 2016.
