Area 120 brings experimental mobile video shopping with Shoploop
When you’re thinking of buying something you saw on your social media feed, you probably switch between two or three apps before you make your purchase. You look for tutorials on YouTube, google blogs for reviews, look at their social media, and then eventually make the purchase on the website. Google’s experimental lab Area 120 is bringing you a mobile website that should make things easier. Shoploop.app is a mobile video shopping experience, now available on your mobile devices and soon on desktop.
Online video shopping platforms aren’t a new concept as we have different apps and sites for them. Google is trying to join in on the fun and reduce switching between apps while getting all the relevant information in one place before deciding on buying something. The videos that you’ll see on your feed are 90 seconds or less, giving off a TikTok vibe as well. You’ll see product reviews, practical tips, influencers promoting stuff, and yes, lead you to the merchant’s website to make the purchase.
In its initial rollout, Shoploop is working with beauty products like makeup, skincare, hair, and nails. They have tapped content creators, publishers, and online store owners to populate the app. Users can follow accounts that they like and save products that they’re interested in for exploring or buying later. But if you’re already convinced, you can go ahead and start buying things from the merchant website.
Google is not monetizing any of the content right now on Shoploop since the buying is offsite. But of course that may change eventually as Google has been focusing a lot on Shopping including redesigning its whole Shopping vertical. But for now, creators are shilling stuff from their own brand deals in a Tiktok-like format, so it’s meant more for those that want a snapshot of a sometimes too long YouTube tutorial.
You can try out shoploop.app on your mobile browser. They are also working on a desktop version but since these short-form videos are more for quick browsing on your smartphone or tablet, the priority is mobile-first.
