Headlines

Walmart Exits Google Express

Joins a host of other retailers who have abandoned the platform

Published

5 years ago

January 29, 2019

kmpeyton

Six years after Google (Mountain View, Calif.) formed Google Express, its e-commerce marketplace, it is in danger of falling apart. Walmart (Bentonville, Ark.), which had participated for two years, stopped selling its merchandise on the platform last week, following a handful of original partners who have also backed out.

Google Express is viewed as Google’s answer to Amazon and eBay, where it sells a range of merchandise from various retail partners. Its early partners, American Eagle, Staples, Lucky, Office Depot, Blue Bottle Coffee and REI, have all discontinued their involvement with the platform, reports Digiday.

Though the exit of Walmart and other retailers is seen as a bellwether for other big names to depart, according to analysts, it could also create opportunity for smaller sellers.

Last year Google invested $500 million in Chinese e-commerce marketplace JD.com to feature its products on Google Express, but that initiative has not yet launched.

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