Google Express Adds Fresh Produce to Its Offerings
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - Google Express has joined the race to becoming consumers’ online destination for produce purchases.
The Internet giant’s delivery service announced this week that it will now be delivering fresh grocery items, something that has been on the company’s restricted items list, in hubs like San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The newest additions to the roster include produce, meat, eggs, and other perishable products formerly unavailable through the service.
WSJ reports that Google will take a different route from others in the market, including AmazonFresh, Instacart, even to an extent Skype, who has introduced a grocery delivery robot. Instead of its own refrigerated warehouse, Google announced that it will deliver directly from its retail partners to circumvent the common risks of the trade like damage and spoiling.
The company is teaming up with a number of big-name retailers, including Costco Wholesale Corp., Smart & Final, and Whole Foods to service the San Francisco area. In L.A., it will continue to deliver from Smart & Final and Costco, as well as upscale grocer Vincente Foods.
The elimination of warehouse use, the company said, expedited the process of making this a reality for Express.
In order to make way for the fresh additions to its service, Google has adjust some of its delivery options, including minimum order size and pricing, according to WSJ. Some of the adjustments include:
- Reducing consumers’ delivery window from four hours to two
- Raising the minimum order including fresh groceries from $15 to $35
- Instead of no charge for most deliveries of non-perishable goods, Google Express members will pay $3 per order for fresh-food deliveries
- Non-Express members will pay $5 an order
Google Express can now be found in most of the Midwest, as well as all of California, quickly moving it to one of the more accessible delivery methods for fresh produce. Membership costs $95 annually for consumers who seek to use it regularly.
Will Google’s patience in approaching this market pay off as companies seek to find the key to winning consumers’ trust in delivering fruits and vegetables? We shall see.
