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Without a doubt, the US consumer is going mobile. We’ve blogged about it before, and the trend certainly doesn’t show signs of stopping. According to aggregated information from Google Data, 34% of all online purchases take place on a phone. Looking at their own data, Google has even reported a large uptick in shopping searches from mobile phones to Google.com. So what are they doing to capitalize on this information?

Google will now be serving targeted ads on their previously unadulterated image search tab. Any advertising partners using the Google Search Network (a majority of current AdWords users) will instantly be eligible for display on Google Images. Here’s an explanation from Google Shopping’s Vice President of Product Management, Jonathan Alferness:

“Whether they’re looking for a new sofa or the perfect pair of earrings, people who search and shop on their smartphones at least once a week say that product images are the shopping feature they turn to most. And it turns out, the top questions Google Images users ask us are ‘What’s the price of this?’ and ‘Where can I buy it?’

That’s why we are introducing Shopping ads on image search. Now your ads for related products will appear as shoppers browse Google Images, so they can easily click through to buy from you.”

One of the most impressive features to roll out with this update is local inventory integration. Any search phrase with “local intent”, a zip code, street name, etc., will trigger ads with in-store pickup options. They’ll even display real time inventory information incase you want to run straight to the brick and mortar store.

Search for yourself and see which companies are already making the most of this consumer trend.