Gmail is making it easier to track your online orders with a new dedicated tab for Purchases coming to mobile and the web — adding to its existing Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates, and Forums tabs. The tab will allow users to access all their purchase-related emails in one place, including from past orders and shipments.
The new tab builds on Gmail’s mobile tracking tools, which flag packages arriving within 24 hours and display order cards with quick purchase details at the top of emails.
Other shopping related updates to Gmail include:
- Adding a filter to its Promotions tab that lets you sort e-mails by “most relevant” — prioritizing brands you interact with most — while still allowing you to switch back to “most recent.”
- Flagging timely deals within its Promotions tab so that they don't get buried in your Inbox.
Google says the new features will be especially helpful during the holidays and predicts that 39% of total planned holiday gift spending will happen this year in the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.
These updates will start rolling out in the coming weeks to personal Gmail users.
If Google is open to making updates to Gmail, could they also:
- Add the ability to highlight text, paste a link, and have it hyperlink said text.
- Set a timed interval to refresh pop e-mail accounts.
- Automatically remove walls of e-mail signatures from reply threads.
I won't hold my breath though. Google's criteria for making updates to Gmail is: “Does it help us sell more ads? [Yes, do it.] [No, fuck off.]”
