Google Wants to Alert You About Black Friday Deals

There are a ton of new apps out there that may make your Black Friday shopping experience a bit easier. Startups like Magic, Operator, Fetch, GoButler and even Facebook have all made purchasing pretty easy. Anything from dinner reservations to the perfect gift can be bought through an app. Google wants in on these services, and the company may be your go-to this Black Friday.

Google’s SMS-alerts for shopping

Google is currently giving an SMS-alerting service a trial that will help holiday shoppers find the best deals. A Google watcher posted to his blog that he had the option to subscribe via SMS to Black Friday deals and that is when the message about this new Google service truly got out.

The company actually quietly announced the services earlier this month, but it received very little press coverage – unless you count blogs that focus on SEO, Google and other search engines. The mainstream attention, however, was just not there, but that may change as people start to see the “subscription” option when they Google the best deals.

SMS-alerts from Google are receiving a test drive during the holiday season since this is the busiest time of the year for shoppers. However, the giant is also thinking years ahead and they know that shoppers will likely rely on mobile devices more than desktops to do any online shopping.

Devices are turning into virtual assistants practically – part human, part artificial intelligence. The creation of Google’s new “invisible app” just makes sense, and just in time. Millions of people will be searching Google this weekend for the best deals, and you won’t even have to compare prices, Google will tell you.

New ad campaign

Google has explained that although this is taking a big, helpful step for many people, they are testing out the SMS subscriptions with advertisers. Deal alerts are an AdWords option that is being tested out with a number of advertisers working with the company. So,

How it works

You may be wondering how this new service works. When you type in something like “Black Friday Deals” into Google, you may see an option to subscribe to Google alerts via an ad at the top of your search results.

When you choose to receive text messages, you will receive only relevant information on the year’s hottest items like phones, gaming consoles and computers. However, you can also get ads for specific products like the Xbox One. When you search “Xbox One deals,” a subscription button pops up, and if you subscribe, you will be given updates on deals for that specific product.

You don’t have to wait for an ad to pop up on your Google search to get subscription though. You are able to text the word “JOIN” to the following numbers to subscribe to a certain day’s deals: For Black Friday (847) 904-0608; For Cyber Monday (847) 906-8958; For Holiday deals (847) 904-0596.

Although the services launched earlier this month, it is likely many people are not seeing the subscribe option until now because more people are searching for deals. However, experts are waiting to see the reaction to Google’s newest service.

Amanda Blankenship

Amanda Blankenship is the Chief Editor for District Media.  With a BA in journalism from Wingate University, she frequently writes for a handful of websites and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, son, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.