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Google has launched a feature in Google Product Search for users to find merchants who have store locations. This means that people searching with Google Product Search will be able to get more information about the nearest store locations for a particular merchant.

"A few days ago, a friend of mine needed to get a protective sleeve for her brand-new laptop," says Paul Lee, Google Product Search Business Manager. "She found an online retailer, but didn’t want to damage her laptop while waiting for the sleeve to ship. So she used Google Maps to find the retailer’s nearest store location, and got her sleeve the same day. She’s not alone – most shopping still occurs in-store, where you can interact with items in person, pick up bulky products, and avoid shipping charges."

According to Lee, this story was the inspiration for the feature. It’s not going to be anything overly exciting for people who turn to Google Maps to find local businesses, but it is an added convenience when it comes to Product Search.

Google says they will be refining the feature over the next few weeks, though what this refining entails is not clear.

Retailers who use Google Product Search would do well to submit their local store information, if they have not already done so. It just may drive some extra business. Instructions for submitting can be found here.

Google also encourages sellers to submit the "online only" attribute so that Google knows which items are only for sale online, and are not stocked in stores.

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