Designed to compete with existing checkout and credit card processing systems such as PayPal, Google Checkout can be integrated into merchant web sites, allowing consumers with a Google account to make one-click purchases after registering their billing information only once through Google. Consumers can also use Google Checkout to track purchases they have made through the system.
Merchants who pay for search-related keyword ads will be able to process transactions of up to ten times the value of their investment free of charge. Those who don't opt for keyword ads through Google AdWords will be charged 20 cents per transaction, plus 2 percent of the purchase price. According to Google vice president of product management Salar Kamangar, that amount is still about 1 percent less than the transaction fees charged by most credit card companies.
Google has said it will not be tracking data about which keywords lead to purchases, or combine any data with their new cost-per-action ad system that is still in the testing phase, at least for now. "We wouldn't rule that out entirely," Kamangar said.
Google Checkout has raised some questions about security. "The system takes some of the friction out of making a transaction," Greg Sterling of consultancy and research firm Sterling Market Intelligence said. "But the question is, will consumers feel this is secure and trustworthy?"
The system hides consumer credit card numbers, reimburses users for any unauthorized transactions, allows users to hide their email address, and has an opt-out feature for those who don�t wish to receive email from merchants.
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