The major retailer unceremoniously disappeared from Google’s marketplace this week.
Walmart products are no longer available through Google Express, Google’s online shopping tool. It’s not clear when the change occurred, but Google Express confirmed via Twitter earlier this week that it is no longer offering products available through Walmart on its platform.
Walmart is no longer on our website, sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. -TO— Google Express (@googleexpress) January 22, 2019
Google began offering Walmart and Target products through its shopping platform in 2017, but Walmart no longer appears in the Google Express marketplace. According to Android Police, attempting to view the former landing page for Walmart on Google Express now present visitors with a page that states “Walmart is outside your delivery area.” Walmart no longer appears in the list of stores on Google Express and doesn’t appear within the platform’s search results.
““We are committed to the success of retailers and partner with them in many different ways to help users discover and purchase millions of products across platforms,” a spokesperson for Google told Engadget. “Walmart remains a strategic partner across multiple businesses including Google Ads, and we’re excited to support Walmart’s development of a voice shopping action for the Google Assistant.”
It’s not clear if Google dropped Walmart from its service or if Walmart decided to pull out (the latter seems more likely) but either way, it’s a blow for Google’s shopping platform. This may mean ability to order Walmart products via Google Home is also dead seeing as that feature operated through Google Express, though Google’s statement on the matter makes it seem like Walmart is working on expanding its support for Google’s voice assistant. Walmart has ramped up its own online presence in recent years as it aims to take on Amazon and may have decided it is better off on its own rather than relying on a third-party platform like Google Express.
