Google Inc. announced Monday that it has expanded Google Shopping Express, its same-day delivery service, to Manhattan and West Los Angeles.
The service allows people to order products online and receive them that same day, according to CNBC News reported.
Google Shopping Express currently costs $4.99 per item.
"Our goal has been to make a same-day delivery service that isn't a luxury," Jenna Owens, general manager of operations for Google Shopping Press, stated. "This is how people are going to be shopping in the future, so we wanted to introduce it to them now."
Customers place an order and then choose a delivery window for that day. Google has partnered with both major and local retailers for the service, which is designed to combine online and local shopping and to grow local firms' web-based revenue, CNET reported.
Google's announcement comes a week after Amazon announced the expansion of its own same-day delivery service in several cities. Amazon also announced Monday that it has formed a partnership with Twitter that lets customers add products to their Amazon shopping cart by replying to a product-related tweet with the hashtag #AmazonCart.
Google Shopping Express was first launched last year in San Francisco. Company executives said the service will also be available in Queens and Brooklyn in the next few months, The New York Post reported.
Sources said the product will arrive a few hours after be ordered, which allows consumers to place orders later in the day.
"We believe that same-day delivery should not be a luxury service, but rather should be an everyday experience that everyone can afford," said Tom Fallows, head of Google Shopping Express.
Google acts as an intermediary for Costco, Target and similar companies. The company's third-party delivery agents pick up different orders from retailers and deliver them to customers across the city, CNBC News reported.
"We're creating an ecosystem where national and local retailers can become successful," Owens said.
Google is currently working on a long-term pricing plan, CNET reported. In the meantime, the company is offering free six-month delivery to all cities.
