Take that Alexa! Wal-Mart partners with Google to offer voice shopping

by Dramelin 4:00 AM 0 comments

Wal-Mart is about to encroach even further on to Amazon`s turf.
The big-box retailer will soon offer customers the ability to order hundreds of thousands of its products by voice with the help of Google.
The partnership is another critical step as Wal-Mart looks to advance its e-commerce operations, staying competitive with Amazon and its powerful, voice-enabled network, Alexa.
While other retailers are already working with Google to sell their products using Google Express — notably Target, Costco, Whole Foods, Ulta and Kohl`s, among others — none of these companies thus far have allowed shoppers to link up a preexisting user account with Google Express on the back end.
Wal-Mart also will be offering the largest number of items through the Express platform.
Beginning in September, Wal-Mart shoppers can link their Wal-Mart accounts to Google Express and quickly order — either through voice on Google Home or by shopping on Google Express.
By linking a shopper`s past Wal-Mart purchase history, Google will be able to more quickly learn the customer`s shopping patterns and recommend suitable products.
Using the platform now, a customer can say, "Google, buy peanut butter.
" Google will then suggest the brand it thinks the customer would like the most.
But Google is just guessing, explained Brian Elliott, general manager of Google Express.
He told CNBC that the process of going back and forth, asking if a customer wants this, or that, can be clunky.
Once the partnership with Wal-Mart launches, however, Google can scan the customer`s purchase history, and say back: "I know you bought Skippy, 16-ounce, from Wal-Mart last month.
Do you want that?" That`s the power of this combination.
While other retailers are on the Express platform, Wal-Mart will be the first one with this capability.
"It makes sense for us to team up with Google," Wal-Mart`s head of e-commerce, Marc Lore, said in a blog post.
"They`ve made significant investments in natural language processing and artificial intelligence to deliver a powerful voice shopping experience.
" "We know this means being compared side-by-side with other retailers, and we think that`s the way it should be," Lore added.
"An open and transparent shopping universe is good for customers.
" Starting Wednesday, Google will also begin offering free delivery on Google Express orders, so long as the order is above each retailer`s minimum threshold.
Wal-Mart, for example, will have a threshold of $35 for free delivery when its deal is live.
"We`re thrilled to partner with one of the most popular stores in America to help make your shopping faster and easier," Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google`s senior vice president of ads and commerce, said in a statement.
And with Google`s platform, there`s never a membership required, Ramaswamy pointed out.