Making money with Google In-App Payments for the Web
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Today at Google I/O, we launched the developer API of Google In-App Payments for the web. In-App Payments enables any web application to receive payments from users and keep them engaged in your application. It is available to all US developers in sandbox today and will be followed by a consumer launch and an international rollout over the summer.
The team started building Google In-App Payments soon after Jambool was acquired by Google in August 2010. This project brought Social Gold technology and expertise and combined it with Google scale. For the payments platform that we’re announcing today, the theme is simplicity:
The simple API makes integration fast so you can start getting paid sooner. Implementing In-App Payments requires only two API calls: one to initiate the payment, and one to accept the notification when a payment is made.
The simple user experience will let your users pay without leaving the app or entering billing details. Users who have previously completed a purchase on Google Checkout, Android Market, Google eBookstore, YouTube Movies and more can use that same account to pay for items in your app in minimal steps. Fast payments that keep users in your game or site can boost customer conversion rates, increasing your revenue.
The simple pricing model is a flat payment processing fee of 5%. It’s 5% whether you distribute your app yourself or via the Chrome Web Store. There are no fixed purchase fees, setup costs, or monthly minimums.
The JavaScript version of the In-App Payments API is available to developers today. A Flash version of the API will be available in the coming weeks.
We invite you to sign up, start integrating your apps and send us feedback. Let’s work together to delight consumers this summer with amazing web apps, monetized effectively, all in the app.
Posted by Amit Fulay, Product Manager and Mikhail Seregine, Software Engineer
The team started building Google In-App Payments soon after Jambool was acquired by Google in August 2010. This project brought Social Gold technology and expertise and combined it with Google scale. For the payments platform that we’re announcing today, the theme is simplicity:
The simple API makes integration fast so you can start getting paid sooner. Implementing In-App Payments requires only two API calls: one to initiate the payment, and one to accept the notification when a payment is made.
The simple user experience will let your users pay without leaving the app or entering billing details. Users who have previously completed a purchase on Google Checkout, Android Market, Google eBookstore, YouTube Movies and more can use that same account to pay for items in your app in minimal steps. Fast payments that keep users in your game or site can boost customer conversion rates, increasing your revenue.
The simple pricing model is a flat payment processing fee of 5%. It’s 5% whether you distribute your app yourself or via the Chrome Web Store. There are no fixed purchase fees, setup costs, or monthly minimums.
The JavaScript version of the In-App Payments API is available to developers today. A Flash version of the API will be available in the coming weeks.
We invite you to sign up, start integrating your apps and send us feedback. Let’s work together to delight consumers this summer with amazing web apps, monetized effectively, all in the app.
Posted by Amit Fulay, Product Manager and Mikhail Seregine, Software Engineer
In-App Payments for web apps at Google I/O
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Google I/O is coming up just a week from today, and the Commerce track will showcase some of the newest ways to buy and sell online. In the Commerce sessions, Google product developers and their guests will explain and show examples of how to use Google tools to monetize your business.
Web application developers may be especially interested in the In-App Payments session of the Commerce track. We invite developers to a deep dive into the social games and digital goods industries and Google’s solution for payments for these areas. We trust that you’ll leave with the knowledge of how to better monetize your web application and a special gift by which to remember it. Look forward to seeing you there!
Web application developers may be especially interested in the In-App Payments session of the Commerce track. We invite developers to a deep dive into the social games and digital goods industries and Google’s solution for payments for these areas. We trust that you’ll leave with the knowledge of how to better monetize your web application and a special gift by which to remember it. Look forward to seeing you there!
Build your foundation of commerce knowledge at Google I/O
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
This year marks the first ever Commerce track at Google I/O. E-commerce continues to grow at an incredible rate and we want to empower developers to tap into that growth and monetize their products with powerful, easy to use APIs.
We’re kicking off the track with a session on Google Checkout. Google Checkout usage has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. It’s now the payment platform for almost all Google products. For example, if you’ve ever purchased an Android app, you have a Google Checkout account. Come learn more about new Checkout APIs, new tools, new developments in e-commerce at Google, and how Google commerce APIs can help your business make money.
For a complete session list, please visit the Google I/O site and filter by the Commerce track.
We’re kicking off the track with a session on Google Checkout. Google Checkout usage has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. It’s now the payment platform for almost all Google products. For example, if you’ve ever purchased an Android app, you have a Google Checkout account. Come learn more about new Checkout APIs, new tools, new developments in e-commerce at Google, and how Google commerce APIs can help your business make money.
For a complete session list, please visit the Google I/O site and filter by the Commerce track.
Inside in-app payments with Vikas Gupta
Friday, April 15, 2011
In-app payments technology has been making headlines with the recent launch of in-app billing for Android apps. But introducing this service for Android developers is just the beginning. A team of Googlers has been hard at work developing an in-app payments API for web apps as well. We decided to sit down with Vikas Gupta, Head of Consumer Payments at Google, to talk about what’s coming for in-app payments for web applications.
Q: Let’s start with an easy one first. You’ve been at Google for about 7 months now after your company Jambool was acquired last fall. How has the transition been?
A: It has been very exciting to bring Jambool’s technology to Google. With Social Gold, we brought a core difference to the online payments world by enabling a seamless, in-app purchase flow. Within a short time here, we are beginning to bring the same frictionless purchase experience to web applications on Google.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge in creating an in-app payments product?
A: The challenge with innovating in the payments industry is actually not the payments processing element. It is almost invariably with everything else besides payments such as customer experience, pricing, risk management, identity, receipts, dispute resolution and a lot more. The primary challenge around building a seamless experience is getting out of the way of the customer and letting them get the goods they are looking to buy without ever leaving the application. In-app payments are very much about quick and convenient purchases, and in many ways it requires us to re-think all aspects of a payments platform.
Q: Is this where you see the integration with Google infrastructure improving the Social Gold in-app payments experience?
A: Yes, absolutely. Google does many of these things, such as risk management and identity, at a much larger scale. As we get ready to launch the new API for web in-app payments, we are focused on combining our expertise with Google scale. For example, there are many, many more customers who can purchase items within apps with a single click on Google. Now that is a huge asset that we can bring to application developers.
Q: What do you think matters most to developers looking to implement an in-app payment solution?
A: In-app payments are about enhancing, and not disrupting, a user’s experience in an app. Once the user decides to buy, the purchase experience should be as seamless as possible. Besides the truly seamless purchase experience, the in-app payments API should also enable developers full control of the application or game experience. We’re very excited to build the new web in-app payments solution in a way that Google users can login and pay with their existing Google account, while always staying within the application.
Web developers interested in learning more about about Google In-App Payments should submit their information. US Android developers can start implementing In-app Billing now.
Q: Let’s start with an easy one first. You’ve been at Google for about 7 months now after your company Jambool was acquired last fall. How has the transition been?
A: It has been very exciting to bring Jambool’s technology to Google. With Social Gold, we brought a core difference to the online payments world by enabling a seamless, in-app purchase flow. Within a short time here, we are beginning to bring the same frictionless purchase experience to web applications on Google.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge in creating an in-app payments product?
A: The challenge with innovating in the payments industry is actually not the payments processing element. It is almost invariably with everything else besides payments such as customer experience, pricing, risk management, identity, receipts, dispute resolution and a lot more. The primary challenge around building a seamless experience is getting out of the way of the customer and letting them get the goods they are looking to buy without ever leaving the application. In-app payments are very much about quick and convenient purchases, and in many ways it requires us to re-think all aspects of a payments platform.
Q: Is this where you see the integration with Google infrastructure improving the Social Gold in-app payments experience?
A: Yes, absolutely. Google does many of these things, such as risk management and identity, at a much larger scale. As we get ready to launch the new API for web in-app payments, we are focused on combining our expertise with Google scale. For example, there are many, many more customers who can purchase items within apps with a single click on Google. Now that is a huge asset that we can bring to application developers.
Q: What do you think matters most to developers looking to implement an in-app payment solution?
A: In-app payments are about enhancing, and not disrupting, a user’s experience in an app. Once the user decides to buy, the purchase experience should be as seamless as possible. Besides the truly seamless purchase experience, the in-app payments API should also enable developers full control of the application or game experience. We’re very excited to build the new web in-app payments solution in a way that Google users can login and pay with their existing Google account, while always staying within the application.
Web developers interested in learning more about about Google In-App Payments should submit their information. US Android developers can start implementing In-app Billing now.
Thank you for your generosity for Japan relief efforts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
We want to thank everyone who has contributed towards the relief efforts in Japan using Google Checkout. You’ve donated more than $5 million to the Japanese Red Cross Society, International Medical Corps, Unicef and Save the Children.
We are waiving the processing fees associated with these transactions for all the organizations listed on the Google Crisis Response page so 100% of your donations will reach these organizations.
To learn more about the crisis, the relief efforts, and how you can help, please visit the Crisis Response page.
We are waiving the processing fees associated with these transactions for all the organizations listed on the Google Crisis Response page so 100% of your donations will reach these organizations.
To learn more about the crisis, the relief efforts, and how you can help, please visit the Crisis Response page.
Thanks merchants for rating Google Checkout #1
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
We’re gratified to see the results of the first annual AuctionBytes Sellers Choice Awards for Online Payments with Google Checkout rated at the top! Google Checkout was voted the easiest to use payment service for online sellers for, among other things, its fee structure, dispute resolution process and minimal account holds.
We have put a lot of effort into developing a smooth selling process with Google Checkout, but we hear you that popularity with buyers could be higher. Therefore, we’re committed to continuing to get the word out about Checkout and improving the buyer experience. Last year delivered an impressive increase in the number of Checkout customers through Google services such as Android Market, Google eBooks and the Chrome Web Store as well as through Checkout merchants’ promotions.
Merchant feedback through surveys like this and directly to our team are important and help us build a better product for buyers and sellers. As always, please keep the feedback coming in our merchant forums.
Thanks again to the merchants who participated in the survey. If you’re not currently a Google Checkout merchant and would like to give it a try, please sign up at checkout.google.com/sell.
We have put a lot of effort into developing a smooth selling process with Google Checkout, but we hear you that popularity with buyers could be higher. Therefore, we’re committed to continuing to get the word out about Checkout and improving the buyer experience. Last year delivered an impressive increase in the number of Checkout customers through Google services such as Android Market, Google eBooks and the Chrome Web Store as well as through Checkout merchants’ promotions.
Merchant feedback through surveys like this and directly to our team are important and help us build a better product for buyers and sellers. As always, please keep the feedback coming in our merchant forums.
Thanks again to the merchants who participated in the survey. If you’re not currently a Google Checkout merchant and would like to give it a try, please sign up at checkout.google.com/sell.