When you think of a digital assistant that's ready to help you with all your shopping needs, the Amazon Echo is probably the first device that comes to mind.
But there's another smart home helper in town, and it's ready to ship some items right to your door, too. Google Home Google Home Review Google Home Review Google Home is an intelligent personal assistant that talks, and it comes from a company that literally knows everything. The $130 Google device answers questions, controls your smart home and plays music. Should you buy one? Read More This device is already useful for providing answers about who is winning the sports games of the day or the latest headlines.
There is still some time before the two systems reach parity, as Google's shopping platform (called "Google Express") doesn't have nearly the reach and logistical perfection of Amazon's ecosystem. However, if you're already living in a Google-centric ecosystem or like to be on the cutting edge of new technology, you might want to give Google Home a try. These steps will help ensure you get the most out of your experience.
First, if you want to shop with your Google Home, you need to make sure your Personal Results setting is on. To do this, go to Menu> More settings> Adjust settings for this Google Home device> Personal results and make sure the slider under Personal Results slides to the right.
Here's the tragic reality of shopping online:You need to attach a credit card to your Google account so Google knows where to send the bill.
Touch the slider settings panel, and scroll down to Payments . Touch here to enter your credit card information and delivery address.
The credit card number you enter is the card Google Home will automatically bill. Don't worry, there are still several guidelines you need to follow before you part with your hard-earned money.
Also, be sure to check that your delivery address is correct. You can always come back to this section in the app at a later date if you want to change your credit card or address.
As any experienced shopper knows, inspiration can strike at any time. This can be frustrating when you're away from home, away from that handy Google home page.
Fortunately, Google Home also offers a shopping list feature, where you can keep track of the items you're considering buying. This allows you to carefully consider your options or wait for a sale without losing the item to the depths of the Internet. This feature is very important, so take a few minutes to learn where your shopping list is and how you can add items to it.
Your shopping list is part of the Home app (used to be located in Google Keep 4 Google Keep Tips and Tricks for better notes, lists and to-dos 4 Google Keep Tips and Tricks for better notes, lists and to-dos Read More ) . You can add items by voice from Google Home or from any Android smartphone that is Google Assistant enabled How to get Google Assistant on non-pixel phones. How to get the Google Assistant on phones that don't use pixels. The new Google Assistant is only available on pixel phones, Here's a tweak that lets you enable it on any rooted phone running Android 7.0 or newer. Read more.
To access your shopping list at any time, open the Google Home app, tap the slideout menu, then select shopping list . You can type items here to add them to the list.
It's even easier to just ask Google Assistant for help:at any time, a simple command (like "OK Google, add tissues to my shopping list" ) will easily add the product to your list.
You'll also notice that there is a place at the bottom of the list that invites you to shop. Tap the “shop your list” button to go to a page that displays the prices of items that can be found on Google Express.
If you've compiled a long list of items, there's a good chance you can find them in the Google store using your phone or computer. But as convenient as it is to read these articles online, the real magic of Google Home lies in what you could do with your voice.
Google Express partners with a number of different retailers, so finding an item is a bit more complicated than just buying something through Amazon Secrets Of The Amazon:7 Helpful Amazon Tips And Tricks Secrets Of Amazon:7 Helpful Amazon Tips And Tricks Amazon Without a doubt, one of the best and most popular places to shop online. It's gotten there because of amazing features like Amazon Prime, Super Saver Shipping, the Wish List browser extension, the... Read More Google Express maintains a list of partner stores that you can sort to show only retailers available in your local area. But with a little patience you can easily find a solid list of options, depending on what you want to buy.
The best way to start is to ask Google Assistant for something innocuous, like paper towels. When I did that, this is the response I got:
Another offer came my way after rejecting this one. Google will continue to cycle through offers from different retailers as available. When you hear one you like, answer “Yes” to schedule your order.
Google Home will verbally confirm your purchase and you will also receive a confirmation email with the details of your purchase.
At this time, there is no way to cancel an order from your Google home page. Also, you currently cannot edit an order after you place it. Instead, you must cancel the order and then place a new order with the correct items. To perform any of these tasks, you'll need to sign in to your Google Express account on your mobile device or computer.
After you place your order, Google Express (the company's home delivery service) takes care of the delivery. Because this system is still in development, be sure to check to see if delivery is available in your area before you get too excited about how many purchases you can make from your couch.
With Alexa Alexa can now order takeout from Amazon Alexa can now order takeout from Amazon You can now order takeout from Amazon restaurants using nothing more than Alexa and his own voice. Which is perfect for those people who are too lazy to cook. Read More If you want a certain model of a product or a particular color, you have to be very specific. On the other hand, the Google Assistant will quickly guide you through the different models available when you are presented with an overview. That said, it may take some patience to wait for your preferred item to appear in Google's list.
As tech execs like to say, it's certainly the early days of buying Google Home. The service still feels very rudimentary with the back-and-forth conversation required. Also, you can only order one item at a time, so if you want two rolls of paper towels, you have to have the conversation twice. And unlike Amazon, there's still no dedicated section for items you want to fill out on a regular basis, like the Amazon Dashboard buttons. What is the Amazon Dashboard? And 6 of the best hacks you should know What is Amazon Dash? And 6 of the best hacks you should know Wondering what Amazon dashboard buttons do and how to find the best dashboard button hacks? Here's an introduction to these devices, plus the best tricks for them. Read more.
The best way to really get a taste of the Google Home shopping experience is to add a number of items to your shopping list throughout the day. Then you'll have a nice batch of merchandise to explore what can really be found with Google Home.
Forgot what you added to your shopping list at 2 AM last night? A simple “OK Google, what's on my shopping list??” will ask your device to make a list of everything that is currently on the list.
With Amazon's long-time dominance in both e-commerce and shopping, Google surely has a rocky road ahead of it. Google may want to become the future of voice-controlled smart home shopping, but significant progress is still required before they can claim that title.
What do you think of this new way of shopping? Have you used any of the devices in your daily life? We'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
