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American bookshop chain Barnes & Noble (B&N) has teamed up with Google to provide a same-day delivery service to some US cities, taking on Amazon's own delivery service.
The New York Times reports that B&N will use Google's new online shopping and delivery service, Google Shopping Express, to provide same-day delivery from local shops in Manhattan, West Los Angeles and San Francisco.
B&N chief executive Michael P Huesby told the newspaper he hoped the "test" would increase the retailer's online reach and improve sales, and said: "It's our attempt to link the digital and physical".
Tom Fallows, director of product for Google Shopping Express said: "Many of our shoppers have told us that when they read a review of a book or get a recommendation from a friend, they want a really easy way to buy that book and start reading it tonight. We think it’s a natural fit to create a great experience connecting shoppers with their town’s Barnes & Noble."
Yesterday, Amazon expanded the locations where it offers same-day deliver from four cities to 10. The service costs $5.99 for Prime members, and $9.98 otherwise. Google Shopping Express, which uses couriers to deliver goods from local shops rather than distribution centres, is free for subscribers and $4.99 otherwise. A six-month subscription to the service is currently free, with no pricing plan yet announced.
Orders will be handled through through the Google Shopping site rather than the B&N website. Other retailers taking part in the Google Shopping include pharmacy Walgreens and office supplier Staples.