Gmail shoppable ads are coming to manifest your dystopian nightmares

Shoppable ads in Gmail may not be a fully rolled-out thing yet, but they could be. A new report details Google’s testing of a new ad platform inside Gmail that turns your Promotions tab into more than just a home for marketing emails. Instead, these shoppable ads, referred to as “Demand Gen e-commerce ads”, act as more of a “light shopping platform” where users could browse and interact with these ads just like they would if they were shopping for products.

Right now, these kinds of ads aren’t available in Gmail on a grand scale. However, they do appear to be in testing with a small number of users. A screenshot from a Google Ads expert, Thomas Eccel, over at JvM Impact, shows the ads in action. The important detail here is that the monetary elements of the ads, referring to prices associated with the products in the ad, are listed in Euros. So, that makes it clear that the testing is happening in European regions at the very least.

Gmail shoppable ads focus on upfront product placement

While ads in Gmail aren’t entirely new, what’s significant with Google’s new format in testing is the way ads are displayed. They focus more on an upfront product placement approach as opposed to wordy emails that focus on describing a product. Now, these shoppable ads put the product front and center with big, highly visible images. You can tap on these ads to bring up a carousel-style format that shows products side-by-side, which you can scroll through. In the case of the screenshot that was shared by Eccel, there are only two products shown side-by-side. Both of which come from a pool-cleaning robot brand called Wybot. Another showcases new products from iRobot, a competing brand.

There is potential for there to be more, however. This could simply be one way Google is testing the format. It could be playing with the number of products to show the user to see what ends up fitting the best.

These new ads will be harder to ignore

Although ads already exist in Gmail, they’re easier to ignore. They’re typically labeled as a “sponsored” email and therefore stand out. Allowing you to easily swipe away the ad and remove it from your Promotions tab. With this new format, products are more in your face. It’s the kind of ad platform that really makes you feel like things are cruising ever apace toward a dystopian future where advertisements are literally everywhere.

It’s worth noting that these kinds of shoppable ads may not pop up too often initially. If Google rolls them out more widely at all. As companies would need to buy these ads from Google. It’s too early to tell if that investment would pay off or not. So, it’s easy to imagine this starting small. Only rolling out with more of these ads from a wider variety of brands. Depending on how much of a return they provide.