Yesterday Google Checkout users were notified that it was being merged into and replaced by Google Wallet. This makes sense on every level. From a 'brand" and visibility standpoint Wallet is a more successful product already. Checkout was introduced in June, 2006 (it was rumored to be called "GBuy" ahead of launch). It was directed at both consumers and merchants. Checkout was also intended to be tightly integrated with AdWords. Online retailers or stores that used AdWords received favorable payment processing terms. In some ways it was Google's answer to PayPal but it was also different [...]

Related Topics: Google: Android | Google: Checkout | Google: Mobile | Google: Wallet

Those brightly-colored Google Checkout badges will disappear from e-tailers' AdWords ads, according to a post in Checkout Help first spotted by eCommerceCircle. They'll continue to be displayed in product search. Checkout icons in AdWords were originally introduced in 2006 and a new badge design was rolled out in 2007. [caption id="attachment_79473" align="aligncenter" width="223" caption="Then"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_79474" align="aligncenter" width="424" caption="Now"][/caption] As for the elimination of the badges... "We’re making this change to improve the user ex [...]

Related Topics: Google: AdWords | Google: Checkout

Earlier this week Apple introduced its long-awaited in-app subscription service for publishers. As part of that arrangement Apple wants its standard 30 percent cut of iTunes/app revenue. However it threw a bone to publishers by allowing all revenue from subscriptions initiated outside the iTunes environment to be kept by publishers. Many publishers are now angry that Apple wants part of their subscription dollars and wants to get between them and their customers (once again). Almost like a predator lying in wait, the very next day Google pounced and announced One Pass, an open system in wh [...]

Related Topics: Features: Analysis | Google: Business Issues | Google: Checkout | Google: Marketing | Google: Mobile | Google: Other | Google: Partnerships

Based on unnamed "sources," yesterday TechCrunch reported that Google had "secretly" invested more than $100 million in social gaming platform Zynga and is launching "Google Games," built partly on Zynga. Let's establish all the usual qualifiers; this is an unconfirmed story and so on. And there are plenty of times when these TechCrunch-surfaced rumors turn out to be wrong. But this one seems to be supported by a job posting ("Product Management Leader, Games – Mountain View"). Given that, here are the main elements of the TechCrunch story beyond the headline itself: The Google inv [...]

Related Topics: Facebook | Google: Checkout | Google: Mobile | Google: Orkut | Google: Other | Google: Partnerships | Top News

The previously rumored Google news site "Flipper" is in fact launching today as "Fast Flip" in Google Labs. But maybe it should be called Google Skimmer because it permits people to move very quickly through lots of visually rich news pages from dozens of partner publications. According to the Google Blog Post: Fast Flip is a new reading experience that combines the best elements of print and online articles. Like a print magazine, Fast Flip lets you browse sequentially through bundles of recent news, headlines and popular topics, as well as feeds from individual top publishers. As the name s [...]

Related Topics: Google: Checkout | Google: DoubleClick | Google: News | Google: Partnerships | Top News