Corporate giants Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) have decided to team up to enter the voice-shopping market, currently dominated by Amazon, The New York Times reports.
Starting in September, Google will be offering hundreds of thousands of Walmart items via its voice-controlled Google Assistant, the Google Express app or its website. Thus, according to Walmart’s head of eCommerce, Marc Lore the company will have the widest selection of any retailer on the platform.
“We are trying to help customers shop in ways that they may have never imagined,” said Marc Lore
A Google assistant, which is tantamount to an online personal shopper, will be assigned to each customer to fulfill the order and set it up to be delivered to their homes.
This alliance is Walmart's latest attempt to beat down Amazon, which already allows people to shop via its Alexa digital assistant.
“I am not saying Walmart is ever going to catch Amazon online. But instead of being embarrassed by Amazon, it can be a strong No. 2,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail research and consulting firm.
The giant retailer spend billions on web-based acquisitions — most notably its $3 billion Jet.com buy — cut its prices added grocery pick-up and rolled out Walmart Pay nationwide last year in its competition struggle agains Amazon.