MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – Is tech-giant Google’s most recent retail partnership with Target part of an ongoing effort to build an “anti-Amazon alliance”? A recent report by tech news source Recode makes a compelling argument that the move may be an attempt to build a moat around Amazon as the company expands into brick and mortar retail.

This Thursday, Target and Google announced an expanded partnership that will allow consumers to place orders from their local Target stores using Google Express, the company’s home delivery shopping service, and using Google Assistant, a voice-activated personal assistant program that can be used across a variety of platforms including your phone and Android TV.

“Starting today, you can shop Target from anywhere in the United States through Google Express and with the Google Assistant (except for Alaska and Hawaii),” Google noted in a press release. “You’ll be able to get and reorder your favorite Target items and brands…Target will offer 2-day delivery, as well as free shipping for any orders over $35.”

Target is just the latest retailer to pair with Google on a nationwide scale. In fact just weeks ago, rival retailer Walmart announced a partnership that would add hundreds of thousands of products to Google’s service. Other fresh focused partners include 99 Ranch Market, Costco, and Smart & Final.

Recode notes that these partnerships are likely a response to the shared threat of an Amazon-dominated retail environment. Will partnerships like these stem the tide of a surging Amazon, after entering brick and mortar retail with the acquisition of Whole Foods earlier this year? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

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