Dive Brief:

• Google Shopping introduced a new layout, faster browsing, and local inventory information yesterday to better cater to mobile-first shoppers. 
• ComScore says consumers now spend 88% of their mobile time in apps, and smartphones now enable almost one-third (30%) of digital purchases, Google says. 
• More than half (53%) of consumers say that they turn to Amazon—not Google—for product search, according to Forrester. 

Dive Insight:

Google is taking steps to ensure that search—its bread-and-butter—remains a viable option for mobile shoppers. Google Shopping added new features to keep it competitive with dedicated apps, which consumers increasingly use to check prices and buy.

The changes target a mobile-first audience with app-like features such as fast browsing and real-time inventory information. Mobile users can browse multiple items in search results, read reviews and check inventory at nearby stores without loading new pages.

Some 61% of shoppers in the U.S. will research products they plan to buy before Thanksgiving, Google says, up 17% from 2014, and most will do some research on the fly using smartphones.

Google has reacted fast to the mobile revolution, adjusting its algorithm earlier this year to emphasize mobile results in the so-called mobilegeddon. The latest changes will help it protect its role as the front door to the web against apps such as Amazon, which 53% of respondents to a recent Forrester survey say is their first site for product search.