Today, Google and Walmart are to announce their joining hands-on voice shopping. This will be possible through Google Assistant the virtual assistant of Google. Devices like Google Home, the smart speaker host the assistant. In other words, consumers can now use the Easy Recorder feature of Walmart. It can be done through the integration of Google Express and the shopping service of Google. This way, consumers can now shop from numerous Walmart products only by speaking, say the companies.
Google and Voice Shopping
Today, Google Express is ditching membership fees as well. Now, it will provide free delivery to retailers in 1-3 days. This applies to customer orders above the minimum of each store.
Google Express provides delivery services to retailers like Kohl’s, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco, Staples, Walgreens, Toys R Us, PetSmart, and more. According to Google, its previous membership fees were restricting adoption in regards to voice shopping enabling.
Walmart and the Partnership
Before today, Walmart never participated in Google Express. Walmart has its own way of handling online orders. In fact, this year saw the company launch its 2-day shipping program. It is free, given that your order is at least $35 or more.
Well, the addition of Google Assistant in the equation for Walmart is like turning over a new leaf. That too, on the same platform, and only for the better! As per some analysts, the voice might be a chief driver of upcoming retail. Considering the fast growth of today’s markets, the partnership with Google seems quite fitting for Walmart. Also, Google Home is one of the two top players in the concerned industry, the other being Amazon.
Advantages of Consumers
Firstly, voice shopping is believed to be a powerful retail tool for the future, as expressed by Walmart’s head of e-commerce in the U.S., Marc Lore. Also, consumers don’t just have to go to Walmart for voice-based shopping on Google Home. Its integration with Google Express was announced in February this year.
Coming back to Walmart again, its new Recorder feature is pretty powerful in providing convenience regarding your every offer. You can actually specify exactly what you want to order from Walmart, and it will lead you accordingly.
By next year, Walmart will provide support in buying groceries via voice. Lore foresees the possibilities in the advancement of technologies to reach consumers more conveniently. He said, “I think we have a long way to go there, but I’m excited about the possibilities.”
Summing Up
The integration between Walmart and Google will be available from late September this year. During the launch, a voice shopping on Walmart will be possible by only using the smart speaker of Google Home. But their plan is to roll out it all across other devices in time, as said by Brian Elliot, GM at Google Express.
