Google and Amazon are continuing to roll out new delivery services in the US to expand their e-commerce services.
Google Express was yesterday launched in six states, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, making the overnight delivery service available to a further 25 million consumers. Some 16 retail customers were named, including Barnes & Noble, Staples, Toys “R” Us and Walgreens.
Brian Elliott, General Manager, Google Express, wrote in a blog posting: “Since launching Google Express just under two years ago, we’ve made many shoppers very happy, alongside our wonderful stores. Whether same-day in our seven metro areas or overnight in Northern California, it’s been a pleasure to see the service become part of people’s lives.”
The service was already available in the metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington DC. US media have reported that Google Express could launch a same-day grocery delivery service in two cities, including San Francisco, later this year.
Meanwhile, Amazon is further expanding its delivery services with the launch of Prime Now Restaurant Delivery in Seattle, just one month after it officially started a one-hour delivery service for general household goods in the city.
The e-commerce giant, which already offers grocery deliveries in several other US cities through Amazon Fresh, said that Prime Now customers could enjoy deliveries from various local restaurants in Seattle. Using the Prime Now mobile app, Seattle customers can view participating restaurants, browse menus, place orders and track the status of their delivery in real time. Once an order is placed, Amazon delivery drivers pick up and deliver the food within an hour or less.
“Prime members can now enjoy food from the Seattle restaurants they love without having to drive all over the city,” said Gus Lopez, general manager, Amazon Restaurants. “For many of these restaurants, this is the first time they are offering delivery, and we are delighted they have chosen to work with us.”
Amazon stressed that restaurant delivery on Prime Now offers customers transparent pricing, with there are no menu markups or hidden service fees, and delivery on all orders is free for a limited time. Customers pay using the information already stored in their Amazon account and orders are backed by the company’s customer service.
