Invisible Hand is a popular Chrome Extension that detects Google Product searches and automatically finds the cheapest price available from a wide selection of online retailers. Over 100 retailers are supported from the US, UK, Germany and Canada is to be added soon.
Once installed it integrates seamlessly with Google Searches launched from Chrome’s “Omnibox”, aka Address bar. A discrete yellow bar appears atop the list of results detailing the cheapest price it can find, the retailer, a list of alternative retailers (a drop-down with a handy count at the top) and helpfully an aggregated rating from Amazon reviews. An option to view all other results found is also available.
Given the integration and lack of interface beyond the options page it’s very easy to forget that it’s actually there, which compounds the feeling of value from the Extension when searching absent-mindedly on a given site. Should there be no alternative results found, Invisible Hand will simply stay hidden. But should you be browsing Zavvi.com for Tekken 6 without landing there from a Google Search, then quite without warning, the Invisible Hand banner appears at the top of page again, politely explaining that a 3% saving could be made by purchasing the same product at CD WOW with the price listed and a direct link provided.
A smart, efficient and effective extension that literally saves you money.
The name of the extension is explained on the author’s Chrome extension page: “This money saving extension gets its name from the 18th century economist Adam Smith’s concept of the invisible hand of the market. Smith didn’t have Google Chrome to help prove his point, but we hope he would approve.”
Invisible Hand is available for Mozilla Firefox plus Yahoo! and Bing searches are also supported.
-Greig Byrne