Most technology giants are attracted towards the growing internet population of India, but Google is placing a lot of attention to the services its offers in the country. Today, the tech giant has decided to dip its toes in the hyperlocal delivery and home services market of the nation with the release of a new mobile app called Areo.
This Android application is an all-around experience, which provides users with one-touch access to restaurants, beauty salons, and other home maintenance or cleaning services. There are a cohort of services currently available on the app but Google is adding even more as we’re talking. Services such as laundry, mechanic, personal driver and web development among others are expected to make an appearance in the coming weeks.
Keeping in view the Indian mindset, Areo will enable you to complete payments using several alternatives such as – debit/credit card, netbanking, and the most common — cash on delivery. The government is pushing for a digital economy but the masses are still wary of using digital payment methods. Areo lacks integration with digital wallet services, such as Paytm, FreeCharge, and others.
Areo’s services are currently only being extended to the residents of Mumbai and Bengaluru but the app is expected to debut in other regions of India if this pilot program proves to be successful. As far as my experience with the app goes, Areo is intuitive and easy-to-use and will be useful for millennial homemakers — the target market for these services.
Areo provides you access to prominent services (or categories) in the form of colorful cards on the home screen, which when tapped takes you to the services available near your location. For the food delivery service, Google has partnered with three startups to allow Indian masses to order food — Freshmenu, Scootsy, and HolaChef. Any of these will be available to serve you based on your location.
As for the beauty, personal care, fitness, and home maintenance services, Google has got on board Urban Clap to lend a helping hand. The company which recently crossed the million customer milestone is now set to augment its current traffic and gain more traction from the Indian masses. It is being supported by another startup called Zimmber, an app for home repair services.
From what I get, Google’s Areo application can be viewed as an aggregator of prominent delivery services in India. The tech giant has recently been considering the country as an important bet in their overall product strategy. Google’s India-born CEO Sundar Pichai has already stated that the country would become a trillion digital economy in the coming three-four years.
It has debuted new India-centric solutions such as the offline-first YouTube Go Beta app along with the oh-so-affordable Unlimited Music streaming on Google Play Music for as low as ₹89/month. It has recently also partnered with the government to ensure safe and secure digital payments, grant digital skills for artisans, and Android skills training for students and developers.
In addition, Facebook has already debuted a hyperlocal services discovery website for emerging markets. It has begun listing various businesses and professional services in the nearby areas through Facebook Professional Services. This provides you discreet access to over 80 services such as photographers, event planners, plumbers, pet groomers, spas, painters, and financial services, among others.
