Google Assistant Enables Heineken Beer Deliveries by Voice

Cold beer delivered to your door is just a short conversation away thanks to a new service created by Heineken and Google. Drinkies by Heineken makes it possible to turn Google Assistant into a virtual bartender, with a range of Heineken products arriving within an hour.

Available in Netherlands, Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia

Drinkies by Heineken is an extension of the Heineken NOW delivery service the company debuted last year. With the new Google Action, the delivery can be arranged by voice, at least if you live in certain parts of Vietnam, Egypt, Malaysia, Mexico, or the Netherlands, Heineken’s home. People living in those places where Heineken can deliver beer can register for the app, then simply say “Hey Google, talk to Drinkies” (‘Hey Google, praat met Drinkies in Dutch) and be guided through placing the order.

The limitations on where Heineken can deliver are due to the varying regulations about delivery services, especially when it comes to alcohol.

Google Delivers

This is just the latest facet of Google’s expanding delivery services. Google jumped fully into the delivery space a few months ago when it started enabling users to order food from Google Assistant without opening delivery apps or websites. Major delivery apps like DoorDash, Postmates, Delivery.com, Slice, and ChowNow all joined the platform right away, giving Google access to thousands of restaurant delivery services. Google also offers Google Express which enable product search, purchase, and delivery from dozens of national retailers.

Voice commerce, in general, is on the rise, though still a relatively small market. Of course, Google has plenty of competition here as in other aspects of voice technology. Amazon launched its Restaurants skill back in 2017 and added Whole Foods orders as an Alexa option last year. Heineken’s experiments with a voice skill for delivery doesn’t change the whole industry, but it is another mark in the long road toward voice commerce becoming as common as other kinds of e-commerce has become. “Hey Google, grab me a beer!”

Update: A podcast interview with Christiaan Quak of Heineken by Sam Waarners and Maarten Lens-FitzGerald from The Voicecast offers additional details on the program. 

Follow @voicebotai    Follow @erichschwartz