Google and WalMart partner for voice-based shopping

WalMart and Google announced that they are partnering up that will enable voice-based shopping. The companies explained that consumers will now be able to order WalMart products just by speaking. WalMart customers can link their store accounts to Google’s Express shopping service and use voice-activated Google Home speakers to buy hundreds of thousands of items for delivery.

WalMart and Google say the partnership will be particularly compelling for replenishing common household supplies like paper towels, laundry detergent and breakfast cereal. With a Google Home speaker in a kitchen linked to a WalMart account, shoppers can order a peanut butter and olive oil to restock pantries when the need is top of mind and they may not have a smartphone handy. Having data on WalMart shoppers’ purchase histories will mean Google’s digital assistant won’t have to ask for specific brands, weights or sizes, it will just re-order based on past preferences.

The collaboration is WalMart’s latest attempt to match the convenience of Amazon, which quickly delivers a bigger online selection and has a dominant line of voice-activated Echo speakers that play music, turn on air conditioners and handle shopping orders. WalMart is teaming up with Google to keep its customers from moving to Amazon through these devices.

"It makes sense for us to team up with Google," WalMart's head of e-commerce, Marc Lore, said. "They've made significant investments in natural language processing and artificial intelligence to deliver a powerful voice shopping experience."

"We're thrilled to partner with one of the most popular stores in America to help make your shopping faster and easier," Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google's senior vice president of ads and commerce, said in a statement.