Google India has introduced phone based local search enabling users to dial a toll free number and get info about the local business – restaurants, movies etc.
The service is being tested in Hyderabad and users can call the toll-free number
1 800 41 99 99 99 to get details about the business and if needed, Google can forward the call to the business.
This is surely a good way to monetize via lead generation, but I believe Google is thinking beyond that.
In local search, data is a huge challenge – no single player has the correct data and given the fragmented market, offline way to collect data is just not scalable.JustDial (040-27777777-But its not atoll free number)leads here, but of course, they won’t share the data with any third party. So, the only way out for Google is to give away a toll-free number, get closer to users and start collecting the queries. For queries that throw results, Google will monetize via forwarding the call to the business.
In future, I won’t be surprised if Google starts driving traffic to their toll-free number via their local product.
The service is currently being tested in Hyderabad (which I think is more of a logistic choice, since Google already has a support center there), but once Google starts spreading to other cities, the startups in local search space will face the heart burn.
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