Have You Joined Google Checkout UK?

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Google Checkout UK

After the official announcement on Google Checkout has reached my neck of the woods in the UK on 13th April.

At first I thought there may be some teething problems as they integrate the system. However the main issues raised were in relation to affiliate program tracking.

I have seen a dramatic increase in North American web sites offering Google Checkout as a payment choice for customers.

For instance Tinu Abayomi-Paul has replaced her PayPal buttons and replaced them with Google Checkout for her customers.

With the extremely attractive ZERO transaction rates until 2008 the rate of growth in new merchants has been be a big boost for Google.

However, online auction site Ebay prohibits sellers from using Google Checkout as a payment option and continue to boycott the service in favor of PayPal.

Consumers have expressed their concerns over how secure their credit card information will be with Google because their email address can be used over all of Google’s many groups and services..

There are ways to safeguard your customer/seller account from fraud.

For instance you are given the choice to link all of your Google groups together or open a SEPARATE email account for Google Checkout transactions.

Definitely go for this option to keep track of your orders and sales from Adwords account and other Google Groups.

I recently made a large payment through Google Checkout for the first time and so far the whole transaction ran smoothly. :-)

As with all of my online shopping accounts and third party merchant accounts I will be making regular changes to my password as an added security measure.

In fact I was so impressed with how easy it was use the system that I have taken steps to accept credit card payments Google Checkout UK. I just have to wait until my bank statement shows a small transaction from Google Checkout to complete the verification process.

Google Checkout Logo

I must admit that their little shopping cart icon stands out below Adwords when I am looking through search results. This could boost your click though rates and grab customers attention who an account or would prefer to pay via Google Checkout, as well as self promotion, and why not other credit card processors and card issuers use their logo to show buyers that they can purchase with a recognized brand.

Anyway, I am getting a little ahead of myself here. Until I have completed it will be interesting to track sales conversions and customer feedback.

Oh yes, I mustn’t forget Yahoo Checkout, a collaboration between Yahoo and PayPal. Looks like there is some confusion as to the distinction between the two services due to their identical names!

Ah well. Google can’t have it all!

In the end it is up to the merchant to decide what options to provide to buyers which should be evident from increase levels of sales. I wonder if you can offer both payment options if it is not against the terms of services.

On seconds thoughts maybe this idea would create too much conflict and unnecessary confusion for consumers. 

Have you been using Google Checkout?

Has it increased your sales?

Would you consider adding Google Checkout as stand alone payment module?

You would probably be better off presenting Google Checkout in addition to other credit card processor at first to test which payment module customers prefer to use before making a decision to use Google Checkout as a stand alone payment module.

Take a look at how other online stores are offering customers wider payment choices:

Buy.com

MTV Shop

Google Checkout Affiliate Program Now Open To Everyone

As you may already know by now Google have launched their third party merchant account system via Google Checkout.

They also opened up an affiliate program but to qualify only merchants actively using their service were eligible for an affiliate account. Now that rules have been waived as they invite ANYONE to join the Google Checkout referral program where you can earn commissions for recruiting new merchants.

[Begin Quote]

"Get paid for every merchant you sign up.

For one year, you will earn 0.5% of all Google Checkout sales processed by the merchants you refer.
You will earn an additional $25 for each merchant you refer in one year that processes at least $500 in sales and 3 transactions with Checkout."

[End Quote]

According to the information on the Google Checkout enquiry page merchants must have been trading for at least 6 months and should complete the free sign up form before the end of the year, 12/31/2006.

That reminds me to add these new developments to my private membership site. There has been lots of changes and activity in the third party merchant accounts that it is getting that I wonder how I keep on form.

Where there is a will there is a way!

I’d like to hear your experiences with Google Checkout. I have an online partner who is seriously considering adding Google Checkout to their business. If they decide to go ahead I will report back with their findings which I’m sure they will share once they have monitored the response to customers using the service.

It appears that the service is only open to US clients with US bank accounts. We’ll have to wait and see if Google will consider extending this to international merchants in the foreseeable future.

Plus one of the following:

Now I know it is relatively straight forward to obtain a US mail forwarding address and bank account for non US residents but I am not sure what legitimate circumstances a non resident alien would have in order to be eligible for a Social Security number of Tax EIN number.

However, don’t go rushing to find out this information unless you can find a wholly beneficial to your business financially.

Have you integrated Google Checkout into your order system?

If so what has been your experience so far?

Thanks for reading,

Nancy P Redford.

Launch Of Google Checkout For Secure Credit Card Payments

There has been much speculation and rumor about the possibility of Google launching a credit card processing service. As of June 29th Google have introduced Google Checkout which you can use in conjunction with your Adwords account and use to shop safely and securely online.

The concept of Google Checkout is similar to the set up Amazon and Ebay [via PayPal] where you enter your payment information, credit card, name, address which is held behind a secure server. You will not need to enter your personal payment information again only to log into your Google Account and submit your payment details.

I’m not entirely convinced that Google Checkout will be as popular as other payment services such as 2Checkout or PayPal. However Google Checkout initially has not been set up to compete with other payment services. Rather to complement their current services to their clients and publishers and enable secure web payments at participating online stores.

There is a lively debate on the subject of Google Checkout at the Warrior Forum. What do you foresee for the Google Checkout service?

Currently Google Checkout is only available to US credit card holders. Read the full terms here.

As I am a UK resident I won’t be able to appreciate use of the service. If you are from the US would you use Google Checkout or are you waiting to see how things turn out with feedback from other uses?

One hurdle Google has is to convince online stores to set up Checkout to implement their service and join the Google Checkout network. This will obviously take some time as Google work with API and HTML coding for buy buttons and other associated integration tools. Once this is in place the service should run streamlessly to enable safe shopping by Google Checkout users.

Third Party Merchant Account Companies For Webmasters and Business Sites

Anyone can accept online payments with a professional third party merchant account. A few examples:

    • Anyone aged 18 and over (Some from 16+)
    • People on low incomes or limited budget
    • A student with limited income or no income at all
    • Any retired individuals wanting to do business online
    • A single parent
    • Anyone with a poor credit history
    • Those who want to work in the comfort of their own home
    • No previous sales records
    • No past business credit history
    • No previous experience or employment

If you are like me and want a professional service without the added responsibility and expense of a merchant account you need to have access to all of the best 3rd party processing companies at your very fingertips tailor made for each of your seperate web sites and online payment needs.

The companies listed in the ebook The A-Z of No Merchant Accounts, offer a broad range of payment types, payment devices and currencies. You will find a multitude of ways in which your customers can pay you:
    
    • Credit/Debit Cards
    • E-check/Online Check (US bank accounts holders)        
    • Secure Email Payments 
    • Mailed Checks
    • Money Orders
    • Travelers Checks
    • Purchase Order
    • Phonecard Payments
    • Digital Calling Cards
    • Wire Transfer
    • Escrow Services
    • Micropayments (less than a dollar billing)
    • Recurring Billing
    • Cellphone/Mobile Phone
    • Cyber Wallets
    • Digital Cash (Electronic Payment Systems)
    • Fax
    • Telephone Billing 

Stop procrastinating and get hold of your one-stop reference guide with the added benefit of free lifetime updates when you join our membership site.

Mal’s E-Commerce Free Shopping Cart Software

Another popular free shopping cart system you can download for free is available from the Mal’s E-commerce web site. Take a look at its features and try it out to test it for yourself.

Add your online store to the “Marketplace” free of charge!

Mal’s Ecommerce shopping cart is compatible with many 3rd Party Merchant Accounts such as:

Paypal
 2Checkout
 NoChex (UK email to email payments)

Supports unlimited products

Supports many international languages:

• Afrikaans
• Albanian
• Croatian
• Czech
• Danish
• Dutch
• English - European
• English - US
• Estonian
• Finnish
• French
• German
• Greek
• Hungarian
• Icelandic
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Norwegian
• Polish
• Portuguese - European
• Portuguese - S American
• Romanian
• Spanish
• Swedish
• Turkish
• Welsh

Check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section and online Forum for further information.

Test run the Mal’s E-commerce Shopping Cart and view the online demo here…

Recommended Resource:

Your One-Stop Reference Guide for International 3rd Party Merchant Accounts…

If you would like further information about 3rd Party merchant Accounts or have a question regarding e-commerce just contact me using the “Contact” link to the top right of this blog page.

Best Regards,
Nancy P Redford

The Best Free Online Shopping Carts

Free shopping carts which can be easily integrated with your credit card processor. When you sign up with a third party credit card processor you are provided with a standard shopping cart. But sometimes you need more than their standard shopping cart for your order system.

A popular free shopping cart system you can download for free is available from the osCommerce web site. Take a look at its features and try it out to test it for yourself.

Test run the osCommerce shopping cart and view the online demo here

        Related Resources:

  Comprehensive list and detailed information regarding Third Party Credit Card Processors Online. Plus more
  bonus links to free and fee based online shopping carts
  Title: The A-Z of No Merchant Accounts
  Author: Nancy P Redford
  Format: Private membership site!  More information here…