Google Checkout (Google e-Commerce)

Google Checkout (UK) was launched in April 2007 and is ideal for small start-up companies, or those who only intend to sell online.

Like PayPal's solutions, people using a Google Account to which they have added their card payment details can shop online without having to enter a card number.

Currently Google's merchant charge structure mirrors PayPal's tiered system exactly.

Google Checkout also has additional advantages in that products can stand-out more when doing Google Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns, as well as in shopping-related search results, as they are tagged with the above logo. This emphasises to people who have stored their card details in their Google account that they can order and pay for the product in a few clicks, without entering their payment and delivery details.

1. Low/no start-up fees
2. Easy to integrate with a website
3. Bank's approval is not required
4. Enables card payments from people without a Google account
5. Can help products to be picked-up in Google Shopping search results and PPC campaigns to stand-out

1. Higher fees on % of sale (compared to an IMA or PSP)
2. Customer service is not as good as an IMA or PSP
3. The ease of approval can make websites look less professional

Due to a much easier process for approval (compared to a PSP or IMA) the higher risk to Google is reflected by the transactional fees (the same as PayPal). As your online business grows, it's common to find the fees prohibitively high.

Once a trading history has been established using Google or PayPal, approval for a lower-cost IMA or PSP is much more feasible.