Several retailers have been quietly testing a Google payment system called GBuy, and users will see a GBuy icon next to AdWords paid search ads. PayPal has dominated the online payment field for some time. It has been a profitable business, one which eBay purchased in October 2002.
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6 _0 X b* L! k8 J* k0 \PayPal delivered nearly a quarter of eBay's most recent quarterly revenue of $1.3 billion, the Wall Street Journal said in a report today. 0 I* {0 n4 |/ D: {
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That PayPal revenue may look like a big jar of chocolate chips to the Cookie Monsters at Google. Their rival system, called GBuy, has been getting a workout since the early part of 2005. The Journal cited a source briefed on the service: 6 f" Q1 J# i/ I- x5 E
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! l8 }7 P3 W4 _( {; r5 ?. XFor the last nine months, Google has recruited online retailers to test GBuy, according to one person briefed on the service. GBuy will feature an icon posted alongside the paid-search ads of merchants, which Google hopes will tempt consumers to click on the ads, says this person. GBuy will also let consumers store their credit-card information on Google.
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Storing payment information has been an ease-of-use feature and strength of PayPal. Google has enough brand recognition to get a lot of attention. The Journal's report seems to suggest the way Google will get users on board will be through its GBuy retailers. But will eBay accept GBuy as a payment method? Probably, as long as eBay gets its cuts of a sale as is customary. & _- [, _* t# V- p5 f2 y
$ {$ \7 j: u5 x( h Q# V3 QThe GBuy.com domain returns a "page not found" error when tested, so whatever Google has on tap isn't readily available yet. The domain has been registered to the Burbank, CA, firm Trout & Zimmer. SearchEngineWatch noted in September 2005 how the domain gcalendar.com was transferred from Trout & Zimmer to Data Docket Inc, a firm well known for registering domain names with Google as part of the name. 2 X8 w- ? I) K5 I
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Google, as per usual, had no comment on any pending products, the Journal said. |
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