Google Launches Same-Day Delivery in New York

Amazon may have a great deal of online market share, but Google isn't going away. The e-retailer is showing that it has a strategy of it's own to get more customers to shop via Google Express, especially as the holiday season approaches. Google is taking its' delivery program to the big apple--New York.

Google has announced that Google Express will be launched in New York, partnering with big name retailers, including Costco, Kohl's, Whole Foods, and PetSmart. Nearly 70 million people in over a dozen states nationwide, including the tri-state areas, will now be able to order online from their mobile devices to have Google Express provide Same-Day Delivery right to their door step. Technology is driving the ingenuity being created by retailers, enabling seamless omnichannels between web and storefront. Shoppers search often online for discounts and more, and when the right deals come along, they make their purchase. With technology, now shoppers can utilize their smartphone and buy virtually from wherever they are.

It makes a difference when a large grocery chain like Whole Foods can not only buy and sell in-store, but they can offer the value-added service of bringing their groceries conveniently to the homes of shoppers. Online shopping expert Michelle Madhok talked about the same-day service, stating that Google Express has "...a number of items you can order via Google and Google Express and have it delivered in under an hour. Depending on the item, some will take a little longer, but you can click 'get this today".

Shoppers will be able to pay either a per-order fee or an annual fee for the service. Like Amazon, Google Express offers a subscription program, which members will pay $95 a year, versus Amazon Prime at $99. The subscription fee helps with the overall costs involved with massive programs such as these, and for both retailers and shoppers, it appears to be well worth it. Wal-Mart is currently testing its' pilot program, ShippingPass, with an annual membership fee of only $49 with the option of free next-day delivery, as well as those that have paid their fee will receive a free additional month as a promotional tool. Wal-Mart.com will have a logo next to the products in which the ShippingPass service can be utilized.

Google may be launching in New York, yet it has its' work cut out with how Amazon continues to expand same-day delivery at a rapid pace. Amazon has free same-day delivery in a total of 27 major US cities throughout the US, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle-Tacoma, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Diego, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Boston, Tampa Bay, Baltimore,Washington DC, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Tucson, Cincinnati, and more. This week, Amazon announced its' expansion into Canada, launching free same-day delivery in Toronto and Vancouver. At this rate, Amazon will be delivering within hours all over North America.

Google and physical store retailers both have same idea, which is to ship their store items to customers and use same-day delivery to do it. A Same-Day Courier like A-1 Express is who retailers and other companies can partner with to launch same-day delivery programs to grow their business online. The Portland Courier has to courier expertise and technology to quickly implement last-mile deliveries for online order fulfillment.

Reference: 9.28.16, Fox 5 New York, Jennifer Lahmers, Google Express delivery service debuts in New York