Google Fiber Project: A Bridge to Innovation

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Recently, Google announced its “Google Fiber for Communities” project. With this initiative, Google will install a high-speed Internet network in selected cities. The goal is to observe, on a small scale, how high-speed Internet access will impact the world.

As a member in a citywide coalition, Auctiva is campaigning to have our Chico, CA, community chosen as a “sandbox” for Google’s experiment. If selected, Chico would have Internet speeds of one gigabit per second—more than 100 times faster than typical U.S. speeds. So Auctiva has taken up Google’s challenge: “Think big with a gig.”

If the world had lightning-fast Internet speed, what would Auctiva develop? Hmm… With this kind of speed, we could innovate revolutionary online experiences for buyers and sellers.

Imagine the rich experience of large-screen, online sales demonstrations. Say goodbye to low-resolution, brief videos that keep stalling due to annoying “buffering.” Similarly, merchants could offer a customer service “counter” to buyers in a face-to-face conversation, not just a faceless live chat or telephone call.

How about a seller who wants to double-check items in a shopping cart—making sure those napkins complement the flatware and the tablecloth. No problem. With a smooth “drag-and-drop” experience, high-resolution images can be easily floated around the buyer’s screen and shopping carts can be efficiently changed.

Upgrading your digital piano? Don’t just listen to a 30-second sample on the Web site and read the reviews. Instead, give the instrument a test-drive and hear what the instrument sounds like yourself. Hook up your existing keyboard to the Internet and listen to the quick response—as if the new model were right under your fingertips.

Consumers’ online shopping expectations are continually being raised. When Google was about to launch its familiar, no-frills home page, it first ran a series of usability tests. During this time, Google observed that people would load the Google home page and then wait, sometimes for upwards of a minute. Why? Users were waiting for the rest of the page to load! Having become so accustomed to the content-laden, slow-loading pages of other search engines and networks, people had to be retrained to expect faster performance from Web sites.

In reviewing the top 500 U.S. retail Web sites, I’m reminded of the diversity of products available online and various shopping experiences. With incredibly high-speed Internet, Auctiva would have new frontiers to innovate tools for both buyers and sellers. Our headquarters town of Chico could be a shining example of a community that effectively utilizes ultra-high speed Internet. If you would like to support Auctiva by nominating Chico for Google’s initiative, please click here. Or, check out more details here.