Google Express Expands To Fresh Food Same-Day Deliveries

As eBay sits out of the same-day delivery race for now, Google clearly has its' sites on Amazon. The retail giant's most recent move proves it. Since 2013, Google has been aggressively involved in express delivery withing hours of everyday online products, along with certain foods. Now, same-day grocery delivery of fresh foods is next.

CNet reported this week that Google will be testing same-day grocery delivery later this year. This is a trailblazer for Google, as this will be the first time its' service, Google Express, will be tackling the delivery of fruits, vegetables and other fresh foods. The key is these types of groceries is they will have to be delivered quickly. Google already delivers on mass scale general products within hours, and fresh foods won't be any different. Testing will begin in the San Francisco Bay Area, partnering with large grocery store chains like Costco and Whole Foods.

The move is strategically beneficial for both Google and partnering grocery stores. Physical store chains are able to tap into the market of shoppers that don't enjoy dealing with finding a good parking space and waiting in long checkout lines just to get some apples and a loaf of bread. Whole Foods currently offers fast delivery for food trays and volume food orders for corporation having business luncheons and events. Google Express grocery shopping online will appeal to younger shoppers also, especially college students.

Wal-Mart, like Costco and Whole Foods, already is involved in same-day delivery. The robust retail leader has the service in a number of US cities, as well as in Canada. Wal-Mart offers free same-day service in Canada to aggressively compete against Amazon.ca in that area. As far as further same-day delivery plans, Wal-Mart does have its' neighborhood market stores, which it rolled out a few years ago. These small, close-proxy stores can act as fulfillment centers for online orders. Wal-MarttoGo is also another service option, allowing shoppers to order online and then pick up their orders from a nearby participating store.

Online retail is forecasted to reach over $500 billion by 2018 and delivering groceries will have its' impact on this expected growth. Google's same-day grocery launch will grow, along with its' same-day and overnight delivery in other major US cities. Just this week, Google Express expanded into five more Midwest states, including Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago, and Boston already have Google Express. Amazon's same-day grocery delivery service that is available in Seattle, Los Angeles and other cities. As its' free same-day service expands from Seattle and California, with the right numbers, this will probably be the case for delivering groceries too.

Google's new fresh food deliveries is sure to peak the interest in other e-retailers and brick-and-mortar retailers who are considering doing the same. Whether it's food or not, same-day delivery is here to stay. A Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express can assist any retailer with implementing the same-day delivery program they need. The Washington DC Courier has a national footprint to help large retailers obtain a service that can be used in any of their markets.

Reference: 8.18.15,www.cnet.com, Richard Nieva, Google to test same-day grocery delivery service