Less than a year after Google jumped into the insurance business with the launch of comparison tool Google Compare, the company has decided to scrap the service.
The New York Times reports that the comparison tool never really caught on with customers, leading Google’s parent company Alphabet to shutter the tool.
Google has told its partners, which include USAA, Liberty Mutual, MetLife, and Mercury Insurance, that the tool will be shutting down, both in the U.S. and the U.K., on March 23.
“Despite people turning to Google for financial services information, the Google Compare service itself hasn’t driven the success we hoped for,” the company said in the email to partners and posted on Search Engine Land.
The service, which launched in the U.K. three years ago, evolved over the last year to allow users to compare not only auto insurance, but credit cards and mortgages.
Insurance shoppers could enter their information into the search engine, which then generated quotes for side-by-side comparison, much like travel sites do for hotels and flights.
Consumers could either purchase policies from the site online or by calling the insurance company directly. Under the plan, Google would receive a referral fee from the insurance company each time a policy is bought.
Instead of focusing on its own insurance comparison, the company told partners, the Times reports, will focus more on AdWords, where “insurance” is a highly sought search term.
Google to Shut Down Its Comparison-Shopping Website [The New York Times]
Google To Shut Down Google Compare Products In US And UK On March 23 [Search Engine Land]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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