Google is apparently set to take on Amazon Prime, with its own service called Google Shopping Express.
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Amazon Prime gives shoppers free two-day shipping on all eligible purchases for a flat annual fee, as well as discounted one-day shipping rates for around US$79 a year.
According to sources who spoke to TechCrunch, Google’s service will be US$10 a year cheaper and offer same day delivery from the likes of Target, Walmart, Walgreens and Safeway.
As well as Amazon Prime, Google’s product will compete against eBay Now, Postmates’ “Get It Now” and smaller startups like Instacart.
TechCrunch says that the project to launch the service is most likely being led by Tom Fallows, and is probably a bid to focus Google’s ecommerce efforts.
The product could provide a focal point for Google Wallet and Google shopping, with the additional benefit of serving as a readily accessible store shelf to big name retailers.
That’s important because Google is almost inevitably one of the first places people visit when looking to by products online. Launching its own ecommerce solution would mean more cash in its pockets as well as people potentially having to take one less step to buy the products they want to.
Google employees are apparently dogfooding Shopping Express at the moment, although it’s still unclear precisely how the service will work.
