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Google Jumps Into Hyperlocal Delivery In India With The Areo App

The app is currently active only in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
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After bigwigs Amazon and Facebook, search giant Google has inaugurated its hyper-local service in India. Google has quietly launched an app in the Play Store called 'Areo' which lists a multitude of services such as food delivery, cleaning, repairing, and fitness training, that will be delivered at consumers' doorsteps. Online portal, the Android Soul was the first to write about the Areo app.

Currently, Areo is active only in Bengaluru and Mumbai in a limited capacity. Google's role in the service is more of an aggregator's than a service provider. Unlike Amazon, which has its own transport fleet to deliver groceries as part of the Amazon Now service, Google has partnered with different startups. For instance, food delivery is provided by Holachef in certain areas, repairing work is being provided by Zimmber and other services such as cleaning and fitness are being provided by Urbanclap.

Facebook started a similar listing portal last year under its services tab.

One of Areo's convenient features is that it will not prompt the user to sign up for different services separately. Users can fill in their details such as address and phone number once, and keep using the app to avail of various offerings.

According to a report by Factordaily, 650 hyperlocal companies raised $180 million last year from investors in India. According to Livemint, overall, such services receive 4,000-6,000 orders in a day. Recently, Amazon announced that it will soon open brick and mortar grocery stores in India.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.