As a further threat to local retail amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Google has announced its expanded its ‘price matching’ initiative to twenty three countries, including Australia.
The initiative allows consumers to receive a price-matching discount on items sold on the Google Store, if advertised at lower price online from a qualifying rival retailer.
In Australia, qualifying retailers include JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Bunnings, Harvey Norman, Kogan.com and Officeworks (full list available on Google’s website).
The service full debuted in the United States, has now been expanded to locations such as Singapore, Germany, UK, Canada, France and South Korea.
For smartphones, price matching is available for unlocked models only.
Consumers are invited to contact Google to request a price match or price adjustment (here).
Consumers who choose to retrieve Google’s price match policy must ensure the advertised price is still in effect when the adjustment is requested, with a LIVE link provided to verify pricing.
The advertised price must be for the same model, and colour/memory if applicable.
A restriction of only two units per customer per model is applicable to the Google Store price match policy.
A full list of conditions to retrieve the price match policy is available on Google’s website here.
The news comes as both tech manufacturers and traditional retailers continue to grapple with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Microsoft recently announced the closure of many physical store outlets, as it seeks to focus on its e-store presence.
