Google has launched a food delivery and home services app for India called Areo. The Areo app is available for download on Google Play store and is already operational in Mumbai and Bangalore to start with. Google’s Areo is an aggregator for food delivery and home services spread across various vendors.
Google has signed up with Freshmenu, Box8 and Faasos for its food ordering services. Users will also be able to schedule appointments with local beauticians, plumbers, electricians and others as well which are currently happening via UrbanClap. Additionally, the app curates customer reviews for each of the services. It’s still not clear if Google is allowing individual vendors to sign up as service providers but if that happens then the local service providers like plumbers and electricians are set to gain.
Hyperlocal deliveries were in vogue until recently but soon the companies found themselves to be burning more cash and this lead to a downward trend. User retention has forever been one of the haunting aspects of the hyperlocal delivery business. With the Google Areo perhaps the Hyperlocal deliveries are looking out for a fresh lease of life and an increased reach. It’s also worth noting that as of now Google has not partnered with Zomato or Amazon’s Housejoy. The number of services available differs region wise.
The app also allows you to add multiple items in the cart and you can order all of them together. Payment options include the usual Debit/Credit card and net banking combo. The essence of the app is to aggregate the services and make them all accessible within a single app, something that the Google has already done with the cab hailing services including Ola and Uber.
Google has been betting big on the Indian market and recently it launched YouTube Go, a lite version of YouTube app with better sharing and data control features. The Areo app is also similar to the apps like Tapzo and Haptik which have been offering a similar set of services.
Download Areo