Google reportedly plans to revamp its store with Assistant as the focus

At CES 2018 a variety of products that feature Google Assistant integration have been shown off, but Amazon and Alexa are still a threat significant threat to the Mountain View, California-based tech giant’s plans to expand into the voice-activated assistant space.

According to a Bloomberg report, analyst EMarketer estimates Google’s Home products will control 25 percent of the 2018 smart speaker market share, which pales in comparison to Amazon’s 68 percent market share with the Echo.

With that being said, according to sources familiar with Google’s plans, the company will revamp its existing online store in February. This redesign will place Google Assistant at the centre of it the company’s digital retail experience.

Google is also looking into a strategy for buying products and services with Assistant, similar to how Alexa is capable of purchasing items. Though it’s to note that Google does offer Google Express, a feature which lets users buy Walgreens, Costco and Toys ‘R’ Us products. At CES 2018, LG announced several products that feature Google Assistant, though the company’s fridges feature Amazon Alexa integration.

Google’s focus in 2018 will likely be the spread of Assistant to more home gadgets, mobile devices and vehicles, according to Google Assistant engineer and vice president Scott Huffman.

Huffman also mentions that his team is working on adding additional customization options “longtime Google partners.” This includes Assistant updates such as voice commands for troubleshooting batteries on smartphones and payments of mobile-carrier bills, though it would likely be many years before Canadians would see the latter.

Source: Bloomberg