Google confirms that a 'buy' button is coming to search results

Google Chief Business Officer Omid Kordestani

"There is going to be a buy button soon. It's imminent," Google Chief Business Officer Omid Kordestani said on Wednesday at the Code conference in Southern California.

The move, which was reported earlier this month by the Wall Street Journal, is the latest sign of Google's ambitions to expand its search engine from being a mere provider of Web links to a one-stop shop where consumers can directly buy whatever strikes their fancy.

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It could also be a strong counter against Amazon's pull as a online destination for all things retail, which threatens Google's most lucrative source of search advertising money.

The Wall Street Journal report said that the buy buttons will initially be available only on mobile searches, and that the feature will appear alongside paid search ads, but not "organic" search results.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.