Google's food and home service app Areo fails to make a mark in India

It's not an uncommon understanding that Google has penetrated our lives to an extent, that it has concerning our privacy than an all-encompassing service enabler.

The agenda that Google propagates is one of helping us through each and every aspect of our daily lives. But the question that arises is how much of the help that it provides is actually needed and is it really effective in all those tasks that it seemingly does for our comfort.

Let's first consider the fact that Google LLC has 110 applications for Android alone, and now let's pick one of these applications called Areo.

The app is a service aggregator, that doesn't use its own logistics, rather, becomes a gateway for booking or paying for the services availed. It deals in a diverse range of day-to-day requirements of a person ranging from food to laundry, to repairs and maintenance etc.

For food, the app has partnered with foodpanda, Box8, faasos, Freshmenu and other such apps that have their own delivery mechanisms. Timesaverz, Mr. Right, QuikrEasy are few partners for other chores and repairs.

The utility of the app becomes questionable on multiple levels. First, the traction on the app is negligible. On Google Play, Areo has merely 1 million downloads. Secondly, of these million people, most complaint of the money getting deducted or services getting confirmed at the time of booking and later being denied by the provider.

According to multiple partners of Areo, they hardly get any lead from the app. "We are listed on Areo for about 4 months. However, we haven't received more than a dozen request," said a home service solution provider.

Same is the case with restaurants present on the app. "We don't consider Areo as order hailing platform anymore. At the time of launch, we did see 10-15 orders a day. But, it has dried up now," added a restaurant partner listed on Areo.

Google LLC has several apps that have similar problems of low traction, bad user experience, and several technical glitches that make the apps useless for the larger population. A few examples of the same are Google Opinion Rewards, Google Arts and Culture, PhotoScan by Google, AdWords Express, Google I/O amongst others.

Few of the aforementioned apps have downloaded as less as 10k.

While, some of these apps may have a specific target audience that justifies the low traction, and others might just be launched by Google to collect private information in its storehouses under the garb of providing services, Areo stands out.

This app, doesn't collect many useful data, unless the person makes a transaction, has no specific target audience, and it doesn't even provide the user with the best information. If a user needs to order food, they'd rather choose apps like Swiggy or Zomato, and the search engine by Google provides better info about daily service providers than the app Areo.

It seems like Areo is just another app by Google with very few takers.