Google’s voice-enabled connected home device rolled out a new feature Thursday that lets users buy items from more than 50 retailers including Costco, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, and PetSmart.
All they need to do is use their voice with a command that begins with ‘Ok, Google.’
The new capability is the latest example of the Google Home smart device beginning to catch up to rival Amazon Echo and its voice recognition assistant Alexa, which has been on the market since late 2014. Amazon Echo also has a shop-by-voice feature.
To encourage Google Home owners to use the shop and buy feature, the company will not charge additional service or membership fees through April 30, 2017. Customers can set up payments through the Google Home app.
Participating retailers will deliver the purchased items the same-day, overnight, or in two days around the U.S through its Google Express service.
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Google Home will continue to add new features and enable purchases for other apps and services in the coming months, the company said Thursday on its blog.
Google Home, which is powered by the voice recognition technology Google Assistant, was introduced in May 2016 at the company’s annual developer conference. The product became available in the U.S. In November.
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