Google now providing real time updates on grocery store checkout lines
It’s never been easier to spend less time in the grocery store.
In recent months, online retailer Amazon bought out Whole Foods, Loblaws announced the launch of an ambitious grocery delivery service, and now, Google is helping in-store shoppers avoid hectic checkout lines.
The search engine is now offering real-time updates on grocery store searches including popular times, live visit information, wait times, and typical visit duration so shoppers can avoid stores in peak periods and avoid long wait times in checkout lines.
The information, which appears only when Google has sufficient data, is displayed below business information in Google Search and Map functions and is based on “aggregated and anonymized data from users who have opted in to Google Location History.”
According to a Google support page, visit data may include:
- Popular times graph which shows how busy a location is during different times of the day
- Live visit data displaying how active a location is in real-time and overlaid on the popular times graph.
- Visit duration indicating how much time a customer typically spends at a location.
- Wait time estimates displaying expected wait times for customers to receive service during different times of the day, as well as peak wait times by day of the week.
That data won’t save you from choosing the checkout line behind nickel-counting customers or a pile of refunds and exchanges… but it’s a start.
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