‘Tis the holiday season, and Google is preparing something to make the Christmas online shopping experience much more convenient. Specifically, the company is rolling out three new features, some of which come as an update on last year’s package tracking feature in Gmail.
Rolling out this week, Google’s updates aim to address a few issues with last-minute online shopping that may be challenging to some users. Those are getting all presents under the Christmas tree on time, receiving prompt updates whenever the delivery date of a package changes, and finding return policies easier.
How is Google planning to ensure you can get all online-bought Christmas gifts on time, even with last-minute shopping? Why, by adding a new filter, of course! Once the update rolls out, users in the US will be able to filter specific items that can be delivered before December 24 when seeking presents in Search.
The option should help shoppers ensure their orders arrive before the holidays. Another search filter allows shoppers to filter only items with the “Get it fast” delivery option.
Beyond Google search, the company is also updating its Gmail package tracking feature, as hinted above. As some probably recall, this feature debuted last year, allowing users to quickly and seamlessly check out the status of their orders. With the new updates, Google is tapping into that, making things even more convenient for Gmail users.
Once the package tracking feature gets updated, a new bump feature will quickly notify a Gmail user whenever the delivery date changes. The bump will appear at the top of the inbox, containing the updated package tracking information. Google is even going a step further, making it easier to return an order when a particular gift simply isn’t the right one.
Once a package has been delivered, Gmail will include a link to the merchant’s guidelines (if available) at the top of shopping-related emails. For context, a shopping-related email is one that contains an order tracking ID number or related information.
All these features seemingly have the potential to make the online shopping experience quite hassle-free and enjoyable. Then again, we should note that these features haven’t been introduced internationally yet. For the time being, they’re being released in the US, slowly arriving on the global stage.
