A recent report in the Wall Street Journal states that the internet giant Google is in talks with major retailers about an online shopping service that would deliver purchases to buyers within 24 hours. From search engines to social networking, from music downloads to online display advertisements and from mobile platforms to applications, Google is in the frontiers of the technology barriers.
Not enough to this Google would like to utilize its popularity by delivering online shopping. Google has reportedly reached out to major US retail businesses, including Macy's, OfficeMax and Gap Inc.
Well the latest foray could be a live threat to Amazon .com, but if net pundits are to be believed Google wants to grab the mighty net advertisement and foraying into shopping might be able to achieve its distant goal. Whatever it is atleast the net savvy have another option now to go for online purchases.
Amazon's influence is growing with the allure of online videos and other content for Prime members. Google, on the other hand, has been weighing into the online retail market with features such as coupons for deals at local businesses and Android smartphones that can double as electronic wallets to pay in stores.
Google is one of those unique companies that can think outside the box. The company will look for ways to bypass the slow-moving vested interests. In doing so it is enormously disruptive and it spreads fear among the dinosaurs of many industries that are still operating according to the vertical silo structure, with business models aimed at protecting their ageing businesses. We have seen several large-scale examples of this. There are other smaller-scale initiatives but here are the key ones as I see them:
• Expanding internationally — Google is involved in building high-speed submarine cables
• Expanding in the US — Google is involved in building local FttH networks
• Mobile reach — Google buys Motorola patents to speed up the spread of Android.
Google is not becoming a submarine cable company. Nor will it become a telco rolling out fibre. Nor will it become a mobile handset vendor.
Google is just not a player who would be satisfied with supremacy, it is ever renovating to get better day after day, inspite of being superior in its own domain. So this latest venture could possess more than what is expected of.
