Google is making it easier for East Coast residents to have products delivered. According to a TechCrunch report, Google Express will have coverage in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
Google Express is aimed at offering a similar convenience to Amazon Prime, and shoppers can buy items either through the Google Express desktop site or through the mobile app. Not only that, but Google partners with the likes of Staples, Costco, PetSmart, Whole Foods, and more for the service, allowing customers to order a range of items.
So how does Express work? After placing an order, you will be able to choose from a number of delivery options — either next-day, two-day, or sometimes even same-day delivery options are available. Service like that obviously is not free though — a year-long membership costs $95, but if you do not want to drop all that money at once you can instead go for a pay-as-you-go shopping cart as long as your purchases are a minimum of $4.99.
There are a range of things you can buy through Google Express — everything from electronics to clothes, even to dry-good groceries. Along with the expansion announcement, Google also announced it would no longer offer fresh groceries, such as milk, vegetables, fruits, and so on — something it only started doing earlier this year.
The move puts Google in much more direct competition with Amazon, which offers same-day delivery to many Prime customers across the country. Google does not actually handle the deliveries — instead they are handled by courier services. Instead, Google makes money by charging a small percentage of each order.
None of this means that Google Express will be able to compete quite yet with the massive company that is Amazon. Most people do not know Google Express exists and most still turn to Amazon for all their online shopping needs.
