RSSGoogle Looks to Expand Checkout Use
By Ed Oswald | Published November 21, 2006, 12:39 PM
With the holiday shopping season as a backdrop, Google is aiming to increase the visibility of its Google Checkout service by offering promotions to consumers who use it. Beginning on "Cyber Monday," November 27, discounts would be provided by participating merchants.
Reusable discounts of $10 off purchases of $30 or more, or $20 off purchases of $50 or more would be provided. The rebates would be instant, and no registration would be required, Google said.
According to the results of a survey commissioned for Google by Harris Interactive, about 40 percent of employed US adults will shop online for holiday gifts from work. 25 percent of those who will shop would do so on Cyber Monday, it found.
Google claims that its service eliminates as many as 15 steps from the process, and in some cases only requires a single login to complete purchases. It does not accept any money like PayPal - instead it aims only to simplify online shopping.
Merchants who accept Google Checkout include Buy.com, Starbucks Store, The Sports Authority, Ace Hardware, and Timberland, among others. The complete list of promotions and merchants will be listed on a special page to premiere at the Checkout site on Cyber Monday.
Google checkout charged your card before the item shipped. Which is very bad.
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I used Google checkout for a Starbucks order and the experience was crappy. First, it double ordered the items I selected. After I called them, they acknowledged it to be a problem. Then, they don't track the order status for you. Then (again), I received an E-mail at least 3 weeks *after I received the items* that my items had shipped. If you want piece of mind, I'd say avoid it. If you just wanna save a buck, then go ahead and give it a shot.
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If they offer $20 off a $50 purchase at Buy.com, you can bet I'll be buying a couple of games I been wanting. All on seperate orders of course. :p
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