14 DAY TRIAL // With Amazon creeping in on Google territory more and more, the Kindle Fire tablet and the Android app store being the best examples, Google is now returning the favor and not just with its new Google Music MP3 store.
The company is said to be working on a fast delivery service which would be available for goods bought via the search engine but not directly from Google.
Instead, the company is approaching large retailers with a plan that would enable users to buy directly from Google sites and have the goods shipped on the same day or, in any case, faster than with the regular options.
The program would be similar to Amazon Prime which offers shoppers two-day shipping on most products from Amazon for a yearly fee of $79, €59. It's unclear whether Google would also include a yearly subscription or just pay for the faster shipping itself.
Google has no plans to build warehouses or sell goods itself, everything will come from existing retailers. Google will only work on optimizing the delivery and perhaps prioritizing orders coming from its site.
It's an ambitious project for Google, but it is in the early stages. Google is talking to several companies, people involved in the matter say, but only Macy's confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that it was approached with this idea.
It's unlikely that Google has actually struck any deals and the details of the project are probably still being put together. But Google plans to integrate this new effort into its larger move into payments and sales, with its Wallet and Offers services.
Still, it may prove hard for Google to convince people that it's not just the place where you search for things to buy, but also the place where you buy them. If Google's plans do get any traction, more info should be landing in the coming months.