As the nationwide lockdown is rumored to extend into a fifth phase, Google Pay wants to make it simpler for users to know where they can buy essential goods. The payments platforms debuted a ‘Nearby Stores’ feature last month to let users see stores, medical shops, and more operating in their vicinity. It has now been expanded to more than 35 cities across India.
Now, if you jump into the Google Pay app, you will see a new ‘Nearby Stores’ spot under the ‘Businesses & Bills’ section. This will let you see grocery, healthcare, and food joints open in your area. This feature is designed to make our life a little easier while we abide by ongoing lockdown and social distancing norms.
Google Pay has further beefed up the feature for business establishments. As seen in the screenshots below, stores can now indicate their business hours and whether they support home delivery or not. I found some stores even declare that you can queue at the store, alongside the directions and contact number. The app will also let Mumbai users know if a store is present in a containment zone.
Another important feature that will come in super handy during the ongoing lockdown is the essential good filter. You can choose exactly what you are planning to buy – be it rice, flour, water, or anything else and see which store has it in stock. The store can list all of the essential goods they have in stock on Google Pay, as seen above.
List of Cities That Have ‘Nearby Stores’ Feature
- New Delhi
- Gurugram
- Faridabad
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- Navi Mumbai
- Pimpri-Chinchwad
- Bengaluru
- Mysuru
- Varanasi
- Lucknow
- Ghaziabad
- Prayag Raj
- Kanpur
- Noida
- Greater Noida
- Patna
- Hyderabad
- Ranga Reddy
- Secunderabad
- Chennai
- Surat
- Ahmedabad
- Visakhapatnam
- Indore
- Ludhiana
- Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
- Chandigarh
- Bhubaneswar
- Kolkata
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Kochi
- Ernakulam
Every business listed within the app should accept payment via Google Pay. All the information provided in the ‘Nearby Stores’ spot is collected via the Google Pay for Businesses app. So, if you want to see if a store near your home is open and sells the goods you are looking to buy (will need to confirm this with the store over call) then you can either visit them or opt for home delivery.
This feature will also come in super handy if you are unable to find a delivery slot on popular grocers like BigBasket or Grofers.
