Google Poses as the Shopping Expert

The herd syndrome that all companies, websites and portals seem to experience once the holiday season approaches didn't leave Google untouched. The online search giant is insisting on giving everybody a helping hand in the shopping process by launching a tool that will help buyers map out their local trips to the mall.

This new feature was presented today at Google's Froogle shopping site and it will pinpoint the merchants selling a specific item within a designated ZIP code. Aside displaying a map which unveils all the local shopping areas and the type of merchandise they sell, Froogle will also list price differences.

At first, Google will be using the information provided by a contractor to pull the inventory information from several hundred major merchants. The search engine hopes to make the service even more comprehensive by encouraging stores to submit their own customized merchandises list to the newly created "Google Base".