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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Walmart has partnered with Google [www.blog.google], allowing items to be bought online through Google Express [npr.org]. Google has also gotten rid of the annual membership fee for the service, instead offering free shipping for orders above a minimum amount (dependent on the store):

With an eye on the future of online retailing, Walmart and Google are teaming up to go after rival Amazon in a play that also targets the growing market for voice-activated shopping. Starting next month, Walmart customers will be able to access hundreds of thousands of products from the company's shelves — everything from dish washing soap to dining tables — via the online retailing service Google Express. Until now, Walmart's enormous inventory was available online only through the company's own website.

Walmart customers will be able to place an order by simply saying it out loud, using either the Google Assistant app or the voice-activated speaker Google Home. Voice-enabled shopping is still in its infancy, but analysts say it is a rapidly growing piece of the pie. "When it comes to voice shopping, we want to make it as easy as possible for our customers. That's why it makes sense for us to team up with Google," Marc Lore, the president and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, writes in a blog post today [walmart.com].

Also on Wednesday, Google announced that it was getting rid of a $95 annual membership fee for Express and would offer free delivery on orders above a minimum.

Google Express [wikipedia.org] was launched in 2013.

Previously: Walmart Kills Amazon Prime-like Service, Expands Free Shipping [soylentnews.org]

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