According to Eric Schmidt, Google chairman, the biggest rival to Google is the e-commerce giant Amazon.
Mr Schmidt denied that Google had an unrivaled presence in the online search industry. He even went on to point out that neither Bing or Yahoo are the company’s main competition.
In a speech in Germany, the chairman of Google said:
“Many people think our main competition is Bing or Yahoo. But, really, our biggest search competitor is Amazon,”
He said that competition is not always “like-for-like”. For example he said, when people are looking for something to buy they will often look for it on Amazon.
“People don’t think of Amazon as search, but if you are looking for something to buy, you are more often than not looking for it on Amazon,”
“They are obviously more focused on the commerce side of the equation, but, at their roots, they are answering users’ questions and searches, just as we are.”
Amazon has been in the spotlight recently for branching out of its main e-commerce business. Earlier this year it purchased Twitch Interactive, the live-streaming gaming network, for close to $970 million – its biggest acquisition in decades.
Despite over 90% of the online search market being dominated by Google, the chairman is still weary about the “next Google”.
He added:
“Someone, somewhere in a garage is gunning for us. I know, because not long ago we were in that garage. Change comes from where you least expect it,”
Video – E-Commerce
Amazon and Google focus on doing business online. They are both e-commerce companies.