Google Plans to invest up to $500 million to compete with Amazon for local delivery services

This post at recode.net says Google plans to invest up to $500 million in its Google Shopping Express initiative in an effort to compete with Amazon Prime’s local delivery service. For now, the Google Shopping Express service is retail-oriented and is focused on delivering products from big-box stores and groceries, but who knows where it might lead. It’s a sign that Google doesn’t want to give Amazon and open road to the home delivery market with its popular Amazon Prime delivery service. From the recode.net article:

“You can very much expect that we are putting a lot of money into this and we’re excited and willing to sustain that investment over time as this gets going,” said Tom Fallows, head of Google Shopping Express.

Investment so far has gone toward the marketing of the service in each new city and the buildup of a fleet of delivery vehicles, as well as toward paying for a network of couriers and workers to pack up the goods in stores and deliver packages to shoppers’ doorsteps.”