Target now targeting voice-activated shopping
NEW YORK — Target is jumping into voice-activated shopping as it deepens its relationship with Google, offering thousands of items found in the store except for perishables such as fruit and milk.
The move is happening as Google says shopping will be available later this year through Google Assistant on iPhone and Android phones, joining its Google Home device and Android TV. So shoppers can shout out orders to their phone while they’re doing errands or just walking.
Target joins Walmart and Home Depot among others in partnering with Google on voice shopping as they seek to compete against Amazon’s dominance with its Echo devices. Amazon started offering Echo voice assistants in 2014, while Google made its debut with Google Home this year.
Target is also expanding nationwide its Google Express program that offers faster delivery from a test program in New York City and California. Shoppers will be able to get deliveries within two days since the items will be shipped to a nearby Target store for free provided the purchase meets the $35 order minimum.
Next year, Target’s shoppers will be able to pick up their online purchases at a Target store where orders are ready in two hours as part of the Google Express program. They’ll also be able to use Target’s loyalty card as an option for Google Express shoppers, giving them such benefits as a 5 percent discount off most purchases.
Like many retailers, Target has been offering more shopping options. Over the summer, the Minneapolis discounter began expanding its next-day essentials delivery service that it was testing to the Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington, D.C./Baltimore areas.