A little-known shopping trick allows Swedish consumers to find cheaper prices online through Google's algorithm. By searching for products like Billie Eilish's perfume on Google, shoppers can find lower prices than those listed on retailer websites. This strategy, used by companies like Lyko, is part of a broader advertising approach to stay competitive.
Discover the Secret 'Google Prices' for Cheaper Online Shopping
Discover the Secret 'Google Prices' for Cheaper Online Shopping
The product you're searching for at your favorite store might be available at a lower price through a method unknown to many.
In 2024, 71% of Swedish consumers shopped online at least once a month, according to Svensk Handel's e-commerce indicator.
If you were, and are, one of them, there's a reason to read on.
There's a trick—unknown to many—that allows you to get a cheaper price than what usually appears on the store's product page.
For example, if you visit the Swedish beauty giant Lyko's website and look up the 100ml bottle of Billie Eilish's famous perfume, it costs 675 SEK.
A 'wow-price' worth grabbing, according to the site.
However, if you Google the exact same perfume, you'll find a lower price at the same store.
594 SEK—that's 81 SEK cheaper than the actual price on the website. The new price then appears on the site when you click through the Google link.
And it's no coincidence.
It's an advertising strategy, and Lyko and other stores have actively chosen to work this way with certain products. Which and how many products are affected varies, so you need a bit of luck regardless of which store you're shopping from.
"As a consumer, you might feel like 'I got one price here, I got another price there,'" says Lyko's CEO Rickard Lyko.
Do customers usually react to this?
"No, but it absolutely happens.
"At the same time, it's similar to discount codes and other offers that apply to certain products. It means some customers use the code and others don't, and so on."
How It Works
It's Google's secret algorithm that sets the so-called 'Google price,' based on how low a store is willing to go.
"Then it's not certain it will go down to that. It depends on the competitive situation and the market," says Rickard Lyko.
He explains that they want 'relevant prices' compared to what competitors charge—they simply don't want to be left out. As mentioned, Lyko is not alone in working this way.
"No, no, we're not. It's relatively new. Google has had it for about a year. Then during certain periods, it's more if there aren't many other campaigns, and so on," says Rickard Lyko.
"We don't need to be the lowest, but we want to be relevant."
Works in Physical Stores Too
The fact is, if you go into a physical store, Lyko's or another, and show the 'Google price,' you'll get the item for that price—even if the set store price is actually higher.
According to Lyko, 'Google prices' have their pros and cons.
In a way, they're forced to work this way.
"Then, of course, in the best of worlds, we wouldn't have this. Because there's also a risk that it drives traffic and behavior where people always check via Google, and we pay for the clicks. So it's not desirable. At the same time, we see that it's hard to stand out when we have a competitive situation," says Rickard Lyko.