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Google Pay serves up grocery deals for Safeway

New functionality also helps shoppers find latest specials at Target stores

Russell Redman

April 30, 2021

3 Min Read
Safeway_storefront.png
The deal-finding capability via Google Pay will be available for more than 500 Safeway stores.Safeway

Albertsons Cos.’ Safeway chain and Target Corp. stores are helping shoppers find deals on groceries via Google.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google said yesterday it has partnered with Safeway and Target to simplify the task of finding grocery and other specials using the Google Pay app. Customers can find deals on thousands of items at more than 500 Safeway stores as well as at all Target stores nationwide.

To find the latest grocery deals, users search for Safeway or Target in the Google Pay app and tap on “View Weekly Deals.” With location functionality activated in Google Pay, the app then will list weekly deals at Safeway and Target when shoppers are near their stores.


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For Safeway and Target shoppers, the Google Pay functionality will eliminate the task of having to search for and collect grocery coupons.

 

Google Pay also has expanded capabilities for budgeting by tracking monthly spending by category as well as for transit by being accepted as a payment form for tickets in more cities, the online technology giant said.

“Last year, we launched a reimagined Google Pay to be a safe, simple and helpful way to pay and manage your finances. The app is full of ways to pay friends and businesses, save with offers and rewards and stay on top of your money,” Josh Woodward, director of product management at Google, wrote in a blog post on Thursday. “Today, we are announcing three ways to help you save money on groceries, pay for transit fares in more cities and better understand your spending.”

Related:Albertsons, Google eye easier grocery shopping in major partnership

Woodward noted how the enhanced Google Pay functionality eliminates the chore of collecting coupons.

“Small expenses add up, but finding ways to save on everyday items like groceries is one way to keep your budget in check. However, it can be a cumbersome task,” he explained. “Taking the time to look through coupons, finding the right offer, remembering to bring them with you or tracking down that promo code you saw online (where was it again?) can be tedious. We teamed up with Safeway to make it easy to find weekly grocery deals from the Google Pay app.”

For Safeway, the enhancement stems from Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons’ sweeping partnership with Google to create a more engaging, convenient shopping experience. Under the collaboration, announced last month, Albertsons has been working with Google teams on a range of in-store and online shopping solutions, such as integrating Google Search and Maps to help shoppers locate products, streamlining the checkout process with Google Pay, and leveraging Google Cloud artificial intelligence technologies such as Vision AI, Recommendations AI and Business Messages into operations to build a predictive grocery engine. 

Related:Google Assistant is ready to take shoppers’ Walmart orders

Google also has teamed with Instacart to provide more shopping information via Google Search, such as delivery providers, pickup and delivery windows, fees and order minimums. And this summer, Google also is slated to work with The Kroger Co.’s Fred Meyer chain to facilitate grocery pickup.

Under the planned pilot at selected Fred Meyer stores in Portland, Ore., customers making a pickup order via the retailer’s app can add it to Google Maps. They will then receive an alert when to head to the store and upon arrival can notify the store. Google said the estimated arrival time is continuously updated, based on location and traffic, enabling store associates to have orders ready as soon as customers arrive. Orders can then be brought out to customers’ vehicles after the check in on the Maps app, providing a contactless pickup experience.

Walmart also has collaborated with Google on ways to enhance the shopping experience, including a service called Walmart Voice Order that allows customers to order groceries by voice on any device that works with the Google Assistant. Walmart Voice Order stems from a partnership that Walmart and Google announced in August 2017 to enable customers to use Google apps and devices to shop at Walmart.

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About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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