by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, October 13, 2017

Target announced Thursday it would extend its partnership to expand on the Google Express program and voice-activated shopping through Google Home.

The retailer also plans to make its REDcard debit or credit card available as an option for Google Express shoppers.

“What’s even better is that Target and Google teams are working on the next chapter, building experiences that digitally replicate the joy of shopping a Target store to discover stylish and affordable products,” Mike McNamara, Target’s chief information and digital officer, wrote in a prepared statement.

Those “experiences” include voice search. On Thursday, Google also announced that consumers can now shop with Assistant on an Android TV, and soon, on eligible Android phones or iPhones.

The platform will instantly connect those who are searching to more than 50 Google Express retailers, including Target.

Target’s expansion of Google Express follows its successful trial of the home delivery shopping service in California and New York City. Expanding the program nationally will give more consumers the ability to shop Target’s assortment of products.

The search — part of Target’s deal with Google — follows a similar announcement by Pinterest regarding a deal in which the two companies will focus on developing products and services related to visual search.

The partnerships with Google and Pinterest give Target the means to complete against Amazon, which continues to grow in breadth and stature by opening brick-and-mortar stores and warehouses and expanding its offices in places like New York City.

An Amazon company spokesperson recently told Search Insider that it relocated staff to Manhattan to build out its advertising capabilities, from search to display and programmatic.

Data from Strategy Analytics suggests that Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant is surpassing Google in the home. The analysis estimates Alexa will hold 68% market share of all smart speakers by the end of fourth-quarter 2017, excluding Amazon Echo and other third-party home hubs built by third parties.

Overall, the smart speaker market will reach 24 million units this year, the analyst firm estimates. Shipments reached 3.8 million units in Q2, up nearly 700% compared with the previous year’s quarter.

MediaPost.com: Search Marketing Daily

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