Google Chrome primarily focuses on a solid web browsing experience, but occasionally, Google adds a feature not strictly related to browsing. The ability to track prices for an item is now rolling out, following months of testing.
Google confirmed in a blog post today that the ability to track a product prices is now rolling out on Chrome for desktop, after it appeared in the Android browser last year. You'll see a "Track price" button in the address bar on some store listings, and if you click it, you'll receive notifications when the price drops.
Google says you'll receive an email or mobile notification when a price drop is detected, and you can manage your tracked prices from the Chrome sidebar. The browser will also display coupon codes for items in your shopping carts in the New Tab Page, if any are available. Google didn't mention exactly which sites are compatible, but the functionality sounds similar to Honey (now owned by PayPal) or Camelcamelcamel.
Enhanced shopping experiences has been a focus point for some other web browsers, most notably Microsoft Edge, but Google hasn't been too interested in the idea until recently. You could certainly make the argument that price tracking and coupon detection counts as feature creep or bloat. Chrome still isn't quite as bad as Opera or Microsoft Edge in that regard -- Chrome isn't trying to make you sign up for loans yet -- but it's getting closer.
The bright side is that the price tracking prompt stays out of the way, without a popup that interrupts your work or shopping, so it's easy to ignore if you don't want it.
Source: Google