Using Google Home for Voice-enabled Shopping

Using Google Home for Voice-enabled Shopping. Configuring Google Home Google Home currently supports shopping only for U.S.-based users, who can use voice to purchase products and services. Google Home users must first complete an initial setup on the device’s mobile app before they can order products. Users with more than one Google Home device can configure the ones they will use for shopping by giving access to payment information. The app can set up these users, and the device will recognize the voice of each user. Shopping via Google Home Google Home enables shopping via Google Express, the marketplace of popular retailers. Users can add items to the list using voice and then purchase those items using Google Express. Items can be ordered using voice by simply stating the item, such as “paper towels.” The device also gives the option of specifying the store from which to order. If the store is not specified as part of the voice command, then the item is ordered from the last store used by the user in Google Express. The difference is that Google Home apps are available by default on the device — Alexa users must first enable a Skill on the mobile app.

Author: Gagan Mehra / Source: Practical eCommerce

My previous post, “10 Alexa Skills for Shopping (and Selling),” focused on Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, and the burgeoning number of third-party apps and APIs — “Skills” — for that technology. Amazon’s smart-speaker device, Echo, uses Alexa.

Google, meanwhile, has developed its own voice assistant, Google Assistant, and its own device, Google Home. I will address Google Home and its shopping features in this post.

Google has developed its own voice assistant, Google Assistant, and its own device, Google Home.

Configuring Google Home

Google Home currently supports shopping only for U.S.-based users, who can use voice to purchase products and services.

Google Home users must first complete an initial setup on the device’s mobile app before they can order products. This setup facilitates the following.

Enable payments. Enter a credit card or debit card to link it to the Google Home account.

Enter shipping address. Associate one or more shipping addresses with the user’s Google Home account. If more than one address is entered, one of them can be marked as the default address for ease of voice ordering.

Grant access. Users with more than one Google Home device can configure the ones they will use for shopping by giving access to payment information.