Google expands Express assortment

Google is testing a new range of products for its Google Express online delivery service.



Google is now offering fresh grocery items, such as milk and bread, for delivery through Google Express in the San Francisco and Los Angeles markets. The company is partnering with local outlets of retailers including Costco, Whole Foods and Smart & Final in San Francisco and Costco, Whole Foods and Vincente Foods in Los Angeles to fulfill orders, which can include alcohol and frozen items.



Fees for delivery are $2.99 for Google Express members and $4.99 for non-members. Google Express membership costs $95 per year, similar to the $99 per year cost of Amazon Prime, which has its own Amazon Fresh grocery delivery offering. The minimum cost for an order including groceries is $35, compared to $15 for a regular Google Express order.



The fresh delivery market keeps getting more crowded as technology on the back end makes rapidly fulfilling perishable orders easier and on the front end makes the customer experience more satisfying. Not every player will survive the competition, but given Google’s immense financial and technological resources, it will probably last on the field as long as it wants.