Google Shopping anti-trust fine in EU

What exactly was the issue with Shopping (as opposed to AdWords?)

[seoyates]

Can anyone help me understand the reason for this fine - I don't understand why showing Google-sponsored ads at the top of the SERP for shopping is any different from AdWords sponsored ads.

Also - what prevents shopping aggregators such as Kelkoo etc. from bidding on and being featured prominently in Google Shopping results at the top of the SERP?

"The commission’s antitrust filing states that Google showed users results from Google Shopping “irrespective of [their] merits,” depriving rival price comparison sites of traffic."

[Shaddows]

Google Shopping is a service, distinct from Google Search.

On any commerce query, Google puts a price comparison service (Google Shopping) in the search results. They also list comparison results somewhere in the results, but not prominently.

Google the Search provider therefore privileges one supplier (Google Shopping) over and above other suppliers of comparison data. Google Shopping has a guaranteed position, others with similar data are guaranteed to be ignored.

This is different from adwords, whereby advertisers directly bid for ad slots.

Note the problem is the entity "Google Shopping" being in search. How sites qualify for inclusion within the Google Shopping section is not the issue.

See this thread for a complete discussion (you may note that I start by believing the fine to be unsound)
[webmasterworld.com...]

Edit for clarity

[edited by: Shaddows at 4:39 pm (utc) on Mar 12, 2018]

[NickMNS]

There is this article from the New-York Times that provides an in-depth explanation of the case against Google.
[webmasterworld.com...]

[seoyates]

"There is this article from the New-York Times"
Yes, thanks, I've read it. Very interesting.

"Google Shopping is a service, distinct from Google Search. "

Thanks for your response - I thought the Shopping Price Comparison Carousel that appears in the SERP is the same thing as Google Shopping (via Google Merchant Centre) where advertisers create campaigns in AdWords on pay per click (or similar) model.

But you're saying: Google Search is another Vertical Search product (such as Image or News) that gets prominent visibility in the primary 'Google Search' SERP?

[Shaddows]

Yeah, that's about it. And unlike News and Image, it is undeniably a commercial product.

Once you get your head around the fact that EUC is treating Shopping as a supplier to Search (with the population of the Shopping carousel irrelevant to the complaint), it makes sense.

It's the same logic as EUC used to whack Google over preferring their own Apps bundled with Android. Sure, other apps (or comparison sites) are available, but why bother looking for them when one is right in front of your face at zero effort.

[seoyates]

Right, thanks, Shaddows! Very helpful, that has been bugging me for such a long time!