Albertsons, Google partner to enhance omnichannel experience
A leading U.S. grocery conglomerate is collaborating with Google to develop a wide range of omnichannel customer services.
Albertsons, which began leveraging Google Business Messages to inform customers about vaccine availability earlier in March, is embarking on a multi-year partnership with Google to make shopping easier and more convenient. The companies, which have been collaborating behind the scenes for the past year, will provide customer-facing technologies and services.
For example, Albertsons will deliver helpful information about online ordering from many of its stores directly within mobile search, coming to Google Maps later in 2021. Albertsons also plans to integrate its customer-facing offerings with Google Search and Maps functionality to help shoppers more easily find what they need, make it easier to shop with Google Pay, and infuse Google Cloud artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as Vision AI, Recommendations AI, and Business Messages into its operations to create a highly predictive grocery engine.
Other specific planned innovations under this partnership include shoppable maps with dynamic hyperlocalization, AI-powered conversational commerce, and predictive grocery list-building.
“Albertsons is continuing to transform into a modern retailer fit for the future, and we are leading the industry forward by providing the easiest and most exciting shopping experience for our customers,” said Chris Rupp, executive vice president and chief customer and digital officer at Albertsons said. “In bringing together Google’s technology expertise with our commitment to customer-centric innovation, we’re providing our customers with a superior shopping experience no matter how they choose to shop with us.”
“Albertsons is leading the way in bringing innovative technologies to the grocery store digital and physical aisle,” said Carrie Tharp, VP of retail and Consumer, Google Cloud. “We’re proud to partner with Albertsons to streamline processes and power innovative shopping experiences for customers. The unique strategic and technical collaboration at the heart of the Google and Albertsons partnership sets the stage for sustained post-pandemic transformation and momentum that will become clear to customers in both the near- and long-term.”
Albertsons operates 2,252 stores with 1,725 pharmacies and 398 associated fuel centers. The banners include Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, and Haggen.
This story originally appeared on Chain Store Age.