Google are expanding and have a new strategy to make a huge impact into customers daily life. They want to deliver milk on your door. Yes, milk and other perishable goods like meat, tomatoes, bread and eggs, and the first delivery starts next Wednesday.
Google have become the worlds most valuable company, and earn money on ads, internet-connected thermostats and high-speed service. They have the worlds best search engine and almost everybody in the world can use the site, but what about the grocery delivery?
That`s not so easy as a search engine and of course it will be impossible to deliver to the whole world, so they will start in Los Angeles and parts of San Francisco. This delivery service is part of Google Express, which partners with retailers in some U.S cities.
We know that Wal-Mart will expand their e-commerce business and Amazon Fresh is already in the same business and have taken a great stake in the market. Other competitors are Fresh Direct, Safeway and Instacart Express, but this business is complicated and not so easy.
Many of the companies are struggling to earn money because the margins are too small with about 2% on grocery sales. In addition to low profit margin you have high delivery costs and sometimes more expensive food.
Google said they will take advantage of holding inventory in costly warehouses and keep the cost down by making deliveries from there. Amazon deliver from their own. Online grocery shopping is a $11 billion business with 9,6% annual expected growth, but the margins are low.
Annual membership for Google Express will cost $95 and fresh-food deliveries will cost $2,99 per order. Non-Express members will pay $4,99 an order. They also have bold goal which is to deliver within two hours.
Google will collaborate with Costco Wholesale Corp, Whole Foods Market and Smart & Final Stores in San Francisco. Furthermore, they will deliver from Smart & Final, Costco and upscale grocer Vincente Foods in Los Angeles.
A good friend of mine started a similar project 18 years ago. He is innovative and smart, but the concept was short-lived and he lost millions. It`s not because the concept was bad, but I think he was way to early in the market.
The same happened with Webvan Group. They went bankruptcy in 2001 and lost nearly one billion. Timing is important, so Google are launching Google Express in right time I think. So is it with my friend. He started with the same project last year.
Google Express has been around for a while, and this is a coming competitor to Amazon. You can order from many stores on Google Express, like Staples, Toys R Us, Target and Barnes & Noble to name a few. They deliver in Manhattan, Chicago, San Jose, Boston and Washington DC.
Google Express is a pilot project and if it works in Los Angeles and San Francisco, they will expand to other cities near you.
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