Google Checkout Gone As Of November 20, Google Wallet Now The Focus To Compete With Paypal

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Google-Wallet

Google announced the end of Google Checkout today, slated to go the way of Google Reader and the dinosaurs as of November 20, 2013.

Today, we’re letting web merchants know that in six months, Google Checkout will be retired as we transition to Google Wallet — a platform that enables merchants to meet the demands of a multi-screen world where consumers shop in-stores, at their desks and on their mobile devices.

It seems as this will mostly affect merchants who use Google’s Checkout system, as consumers will really only see a change in the name of the service. With Google Wallet API enhancements announced last week, like the Instant Buy API and the Wallet Objects API, the transition should be smooth for consumers who use Android to purchase goods and services.

It will mean something different to Google Checkout merchants and Android developers, however.

Merchants will need to switch to the newer Wallet system by November 20 of this year, which requires getting their own payment processing service. Google has partnered with Braintree, Shopify, and Freshbooks to offer migration discounts to each of these processing services. If a developer already has a payment processing service, they can apply for Google Wallet Instant Buy now.

There will also be a live webinar on May 23 for any merchants who have questions about the transition.

As for Google Play developers, not a whole lot will change, as the Play store, the Chrome Web Store, and Offers Marketplace developers will transition automatically to the new Google Wallet Merchant Center in the coming weeks.

TechCrunch calls this “update” out as a direct challenge to the dominant PayPal service by using all of Google’s digital service properties in concert to deliver a competitive advantage. This advantage can include storing payment credentials in Chrome makes it easier for customers to buy stuff without abandoning the shopping cart when switching to a different payment system, or making Google Walled available in Gmail, for example.

Posted on May 20, 2013 in Android / News