Google Commerce

Join us for a Google+ Hangout: ‘Using Google client libraries to submit product data’ on March 28, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. PT

2012-03-09T10:32:00.001-08:00

For all you retailers already using the Content API for Shopping or looking for a way to automate your product data upload to Google, we’ll be hosting a technical webinar in a Google+ Hangout. Join us for “Using Google client libraries to submit product data," on March 28, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. PT.

This webinar is for those interested in getting up and running with the Google Content API for Shopping without worrying about constructing XML or figuring out how to make an HTTP request in your language of choice. We’ll show you how to leverage open source client libraries written by Google engineers so you can focus on the important stuff: your product data.

In this 60 minute session, we'll cover the following:

The way a product is represented and sent with the API
Using batch requests to send multiple product updates at once
Writing and running code to insert your product data
Q&A with Google Product Search team members

Register now for the webinar with your Google+ account, and you’ll receive an invitation to join the Google+ Hangout in your stream on the day of the hangout. To add a reminder to your calendar, click the link below.

We hope to see you there!

Posted by Daniel Hermes, Commerce Developer Relations Team

Merchants: Get deeper insight into your product performance on Google Product Search

2012-03-08T14:28:00.002-08:00

We frequently hear from merchants that data is gold - especially when that data provides insight into the performance of their products and their customers’ buying habits. We’ve listened to the feedback, and today we’re rolling out the first in a series of improvements to Google Merchant Center to put more data in the hands of merchants.

Starting today, retailers who submit product feeds to Google Product Search can view more detailed product performance data directly on the ‘Performance’ tab of their Google Merchant Center account.

In addition to seeing clicks on all products in aggregate over a specified period of time, merchants can now drill down to view click metrics for specific product categories, brands, condition and country. With these tools, it’s easy to compare the performance of different types of products, brands, and more to assess how you’re doing and identify areas that may need additional optimization.

With these improvements, merchants now have more detailed insight into product performance, allowing them make informed decisions about their business and drive increased ROI. We’re continually working to improve the Google Product Search experience for merchants and more tools are on the way. Check back soon for updates!

Posted by Mayuresh Saoji, Senior Product Manager, Google Merchant Center team

Visit the Google Commerce Team at the SXSW Google Village

2012-03-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

SXSW Interactive 2012 starts tomorrow and we’re excited to be a part of this year’s festivities in Austin! As we announced last week, we’re transforming Rainey St. into the “Google Village” on March 10-11. Only a few steps away from the Austin Convention Center, the “Google Village” will consist of four houses packed full of demos and fun, drinks and music. The Commerce team will be at the Google Village too, and here’s what we got going on:

Google Offers
Google Offers will be set up throughout Google Village and our goal is to connect you to our product by allowing you to experience great Austin businesses that we’ve partnered with to run Google Offers.

Your journey begins at the Maps House, where you can pick up a Google Offers passport. This passport gets you access to all the Google Offers carts outside every house in the village:

Developer House: Get a taste of local favorite Frank’s unique artisan hot dogs
Discovery House: Play our record toss game for a chance to win swag from Waterloo Records
Android House: Whip up a refreshing drink while burning some calories by testing out blender bikes courtesy of Jack and Adam’s Bicycles

Like what you see? Then sign up for Google Offers at www.google.com/offers or download our mobile app to purchase offers from our featured businesses in your city.

Google Wallet
As you walk through the Google Village, stop by the Android House to try out Google Wallet. You can play the Google Wallet-enabled claw and pinball games to win prizes, and Google Wallet team members will be on hand to demo the app and answer any questions you might have.

If you’re not able to stop by, find out how you can get Google Wallet here: http://www.google.com/wallet/get.html

Commerce Developer Hangouts
Have technical questions around In-App Payments or other Commerce APIs? Sign up for 15 minutes of one-on-one time with a member of the Google Developer Relations team on March 11th at the Developer House. Get answers and insights from Googlers who are experts on these products.

Posted by Artem Chetverykov and Teresa Jung, Commerce Marketing Team

Visit Google In-App Payments at GDC

2012-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we wrote about some recent updates to In-App Payments that help developers monetize their apps in fewer steps, across more countries. In addition to improvements in the in-app payment process, Google is also investing heavily in helping developers create and distribute their games.

For those of you attending GDC at the Moscone Center this week, stop by and see us at our developer days March 5th-6th in Room 2020 and at booth #1901 March 7th-9th on the show floor. If you’re not able to attend the show, check out our new site for game developers where you can learn about the Google tools, technology, and services that can help you build, distribute, promote, and monetize your games.

For even more game developer goodness, check out today’s post on the brand-new Google Developers Blog.

Posted by Arundhati Singh, Product Manager

Making it even easier to monetize your games

2012-03-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Google Developers Blog)

As any merchant knows, the easier the path to purchase, the more likely the sale. That’s why the In-App Payments team is dedicated to developing a simple, yet intuitive API that makes the in-app purchase experience effortless for your customers -- leading to a higher conversion rate for you. Over the last few weeks, we’ve made some improvements to the API that we wanted to share:

Additional Currencies Accepted
With the recent international expansion of In-App Payments, we’ve expanded the types of currencies accepted so you can sell your goods in your customer’s native currency. For example, if you’ve set up shop in the United Kingdom but your customer base is mostly in Japan, you can specify prices for your good in Japanese Yen and Google automatically handles currency conversion for you.

As of today, the supported currencies for In-App Payments are:

To use a different buyer currency, just specify the currency code in the JWT request:

"request" => {
"name" => "Piece of Cake",
"description" => "Virtual chocolate cake to fill your virtual tummy",
"price" => "1000",
"currencyCode" => "JPY",
"sellerData" => "user_id:1224245,offer_code:3098576987,affiliate:aksdfbovu9j"
}

Card Details Minimized
In order to purchase through In-App Payments customers must first create a Google Wallet account, but entering payment information can be cumbersome. So, we’ve cut the amount of information that your customer has to enter when adding a new credit card to their Google Wallet. Now customers in many countries only need to specify their postal code instead of a full address, making the experience of creating or updating a Google Wallet quick and painless.

Terms of Service in Context
We’ve incorporated the Terms of Service into the purchase confirmation page to reduce the number of pages a new Google Wallet user sees before completing a purchase. This means that your new customers can easily review the Terms of Service and get to enjoying their purchases faster.

If you have any questions about Google In-App Payments, please reach out to us in the forum. We’ll also be hosting a regularly scheduled Google+ Hangout the first and third Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. PST to answer any technical questions about implementation of the API or about these new updates.

Stay tuned as we have plenty of new features to be released in 2012. Happy monetizing!

Posted by Peng Ying, Developer Advocate

New debugging dashboard for the Google Content API for Shopping

2012-02-27T11:15:00.002-08:00

Today we're announcing the API dashboard in Google Merchant Center, which makes it easier for online merchants who use the Google Content API for Shopping to debug their API requests.

If you’re an API user, you can now view a comprehensive timeline and list of errors that occurred while making requests to the API, sorted by the number of times the errors occurred for faster prioritization. For each error, the dashboard also displays example request and response pairs, making it easier to locate and fix errors in your requests.

To access the new API dashboard, log into your Google Merchant Center account and click on the ‘API Dashboard’ tab.

Posted by Thomas Kotzmann and Paul Brauner, Google Content API for Shopping team

Smartphones and Tablets Influence Consumer Purchasing Decisions on Mobile, Online and in Store

2012-02-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Google Mobile Ads and Google Retail Blogs)

Retailers are largely focused on how consumers are shopping across channels and devices. We know consumers love their mobile and tablet devices, but we are just beginning to develop a strong understanding of how they engage with these devices as they make their purchase decisions. To gain greater insight into this key behavior, we partnered with Ipsos during the 2011 holiday shopping season to study online shoppers. We uncovered a number of interesting consumer behaviors across desktop computers, smartphones and tablets. The powerful data we uncovered can drive best practices for advertisers at every holiday and year round.

The first key mobile insight every advertiser should know is that consumers use their smartphones at many different points in their purchase path. 41% of those who used their mobile phones to help with shopping said they made a purchase directly on their smartphone. 46% said they researched an item on their smartphone then went to a store to make their purchase. 37% said they researched an item on their smartphone then made their purchase online.

Another key mobile insight that emerged is that consumers used all three devices throughout the research process, but some activities were more popular on specific devices. Consumers who owned tablets read product reviews and looked for product information more from their tablet devices than from their desktop computer or smartphone. This is likely due to the combination of the large screen and portability of the device that enables consumers to use it more often and in more places. Consumers are carrying tablets with them to the couch, while in the kitchen, and even to bed.

Not surprisingly, more consumers used their smartphones to contact a retailer. With the natural calling ability of phones and many click-to-call phone numbers on websites and in ads, smartphones make it easy to contact retailers, whether to see if the store has the product in stock, get directions or find store hours.

While the 2011 holiday season is now firmly behind us, it’s clear that smartphones and tablets are only going to become a bigger part of the consumer shopping experience. Among consumers that used their devices to shop last year, 80% of smartphone shoppers and 70% of tablet users said they used their device more frequently this year.

To stay ahead of this shift in consumer behavior, advertisers need to make sure they have a mobile optimized site, make it easy for customers to reach them with click-to-call and deliver a seamless experience between online and offline in-store. It’s the advertisers who engage with their customers across all three devices that will have a distinct advantage in 2012.

To learn more about consumer shopping behavior across the desktop computer, smartphone and tablet and view a full report on Post Holiday Learnings for 2012.

Posted by Dai Pham, Google Mobile Ads Marketing

Protecting your payments with Google Wallet

2012-02-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Over the last few days we've received questions and concerns about issues related to the security of Google Wallet. People are asking if Google Wallet is safe enough for mobile phone payments. The simple answer to this question is yes. In fact, Google Wallet offers advantages over the plastic cards and folded wallets in use today.

First, Google Wallet is protected by a PIN — as well as the phone’s lock screen, if a user sets that option. But sometimes users choose to disable important security mechanisms in order to gain system-level “root” access to their phone; we strongly discourage doing so if you plan to use Google Wallet because the product is not supported on rooted phones. That’s why in most cases, rooting your phone will cause your Google Wallet data to be automatically wiped from the device.

Second, we also take concrete actions to help protect our users. For example, to address an issue that could have allowed unauthorized use of an existing prepaid card balance if someone recovered a lost phone without a screen lock, tonight we temporarily disabled provisioning of prepaid cards. We took this step as a precaution until we issue a permanent fix soon.

And just like with any other credit card, you can get support when you need it. We provide toll-free assistance in case you lose your phone or someone manages to make an unauthorized transaction.

Mobile payments are going to become more common in the coming years, and we will learn much more as we continue to develop Google Wallet. In the meantime, you can be confident that the digital wallet you carry provides defenses that plastic and leather simply don’t.

Update [February 14, 2012 / 8:30 pm PST]:

Yesterday afternoon, we restored the ability to issue new prepaid cards to the Wallet. In addition, we issued a fix that prevents an existing prepaid card from being re-provisioned to another user. While we’re not aware of any abuse of prepaid cards or the Wallet PIN resulting from these recent reports, we took this step as a precaution to ensure the security of our Wallet customers. If you are unable to access your previous prepaid card balance for any reason, please contact our toll-free support for assistance.

Posted by Osama Bedier, Vice President, Google Wallet and Payments

And that makes 40! Google Offers launches in Oklahoma City and Omaha

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today, Google Offers is rolling out in two new locations, Oklahoma City and Omaha. Not only are we excited to bring high-quality, personalized deals to these awesome cities, but today’s announcement also marks a special milestone for us: In just 251 days, Google Offers has gone from one to 40 cities across the U.S.!

In the eight months since our launch in Portland, we’ve worked with locally loved businesses and popular national brands to bring you the very best deals out there. And we’re continuing this M.O. with two great offers for our newest cities. Here’s the scoop:

Oklahoma City: $10 for $20 of American fare at Louie’s Grill and Bar
Besides your own living room, few places are comfortable enough to kick back with a plate of queso-smothered nachos while watching the big game. Enter Louie’s Grill and Bar, where the service is friendly, the food sticks to your ribs and nothing on the menu is over $10. With today’s inaugural Google Offer in OKC, enjoy $10 for $20 of American-fare at one of Louie’s Grill and Bar’s twelve locations in the Oklahoma City area.

Dig in to a 100% Angus burger ($8) at Louie’s Grill and Bar

Omaha: $8 for one ticket to an upcoming Nebraska Huskers Men’s Basketball game
Sure, shouting at the TV seems satisfying, but there’s nothing like lending your lungs to a crowd thousands deep. Join thousands of fans to watch the Nebraska Huskers take on their rivals in the Big Ten: $8 gets you one ticket to see the Huskers take on the Illinois Fighting Illini ($20 value) on February 18th OR the Iowa Hawkeyes on February 29th ($15 value). Don’t miss out: these are the big games before the Big Ten Tournament!

Cheer on Big Red in the new Devaney Center!

Check out www.google.com/offers to learn more and subscribe to Google Offers! Also be sure to check out our Google Offers mobile app for Android so you can get access to great deals on the go.

Posted by Eric Rosenblum, Director of Product Management, Google Offers

Valentine’s Day deals you’ll love, for the one you love, from Google Offers

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the thoughts of some turn to romance and celebrating that special someone in your life. The thoughts of others turn to the sometimes arduous and often expensive task of buying a gift that truly conveys what that someone means to you. Relax, Google Offers is here to help with three national deals that form the triumvirate of Valentine’s Day - flowers, jewelry, and chocolate.

Flowers from 1-800-Flowers
In 1976, Jim McCann opened his first 1-800-Flowers store (then called “Flora Plenty”) and in the 35 years since launch, 1-800-Flowers has been delivering smiles ever since. And boy, do they have an offer for you today: you can send two dozen fresh roses delivered to the door of your choice -- perfect for Valentine’s Day, or just because. 1-800-Flowers will even include a beautiful, crystal clear vase and free standard shipping. All this for only for $44.99. That’s 43% off! What a bunch of hopeless romantics...

Jewelry from Gemvara.com
From its customer service, to its selection, to its focus on personalization, Gemvara is changing the way its customers shop for jewelry online. And to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, the company is taking some of the intimidation out of buying jewelry by offering $50 for $150 toward custom jewelry at Gemvara.com-- a whopping 66% off. Starting tomorrow (2/2), at 5 a.m. PST, customize necklaces, earrings and rings online, mix ’n’ match gemstones & precious metals and have it shipped - at no extra cost. Be sure to place your order at Gemvara.com by February 5 (this Sunday!) in order to have it delivered by February 14th.

Chocolate from Chuao Chocolatier
Starting Friday (2/3), at 5 a.m. PST, Chuao Chocolatier (pronounced chew-WOW) will finalize the triple threat of Valentine’s Day deals with one not to be trifled (or is it truffled?) with. The first Venezuelan Chocolatier based in the United States, which specializes in all-natural “fusion chocolate,” will offer an online deal for $12 for $24 of artisan chocolate. And this isn’t your grandma’s chocolate box - Chuao offers unusual flavor combinations such as Spiced Napa Valley Cabernet, a combination of California raisin fondue, Napa Valley cabernet, caramel and spices in rich dark chocolate; and Rosemary Salt Caramel, a salt butter caramel infused with rosemary in creamy milk chocolate. Yum!

Visit www.google.com/offers to learn more and subscribe to Google Offers so you don't miss out on these great deals. Also, you can always find deals from Google Offers on-the-go with the Google Offers app on Android.

Posted by Shazia Makhdumi, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Google Offers

Google Offers grows partnerships; brings expanded collection of deals to five additional markets

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Starting today, those of you in Boston, Chicago, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., can now enjoy more daily deals from your favorite daily deal sites in one single place, just as those in New York and San Francisco.

Google Offers, which is now live in 38 cities across the U.S., is continuing to build momentum by partnering with three new deal provider partners, including CrowdSavings, SpaRahRah!™, and LocalWineEvents.com. These partners join Google’s growing roster of specialized deal providers that promote their deals through the Google Offers platform. Our new partners help us bring a greater variety of unique deals to Google Offers customers, giving you more reasons to treat yourself and your friends to a great deal.

And if you take the Google Offers personalization quiz, we’ll only send you the offers that best match your interests each day, so you only get the deals you want, and not the ones you don’t. All your offers will be personalized to you in one email and they are accessible through the web or on your mobile phone.

Subscribe and learn more about Google Offers by visiting: www.google.com/offers. And if you are a deal provider and are interested in partnering with Google, please get in touch with us via our partner program form.

Posted by Peet Sasaki, Software Engineer, Google Offers

Google Offers Keeps Momentum in 2012: Five New Cities Launch Today

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

2011 was quite a year for Google Offers. In only six months (since we first launched in Portland) we introduced amazing deals from beloved local business in 33 cities in the U.S., launched national deals and released our first mobile app.

Well, good news deal lovers! We’re keeping up the momentum and 2012 is going to be just as exciting. As of today, Google Offers is available in five new cities including: Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Tampa.

Here are the details about our debut deals in these terrific locations:

Charlotte: $11 for a beer tasting, growler bottle, souvenir glass & soft pretzel at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery ($22 value)
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself—this is the force behind
The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. Born of the belief that every town should have fresh local beer,
the talented brewers churn out premium all-natural lagers and ales weekly. After tasting such fresh beer, your happy hours are sure to be even happier—$11 gets you a beer tasting, growler bottle, souvenir glass and a soft pretzel at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery ($22 value).

Kansas City: $5 for $10 of food and drink at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque Restaurant
Some say Washington and Jefferson, others claim Adams and Franklin, but Kansas City’s vote for favorite founding fathers goes to Charlie and Arthur Bryant, veterans of the KC barbecue revolution. Cast your ballot at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque, where $5 gets you $10 toward their iconic menu.

Milwaukee: $5 for $12 toward burgers, brews & more at Sobelman’s Pub & Grill
In a city where the state domesticated animal is the dairy cow, residents have an innate ability to seek out great cheeseburgers. Follow your instinct to Sobelman’s Pub & Grill, where our first Milwaukee Google Offer is: $5 for $12 toward award-winning burgers and more. Lines often stretch out the door at the original West Saint Paul joint, so luckily you can also use this Google Offer to get mouth-watering burgers at the new Sobelman's Eastside Grill and Sobelman’s @Marquette.

San Antonio: $10 for $20 of fine sandwiches, pasta, steaks & more at Liberty Bar
Though “beauty and charm” was not likely the mantra of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica, they’ve given their stamp of approval to Liberty Bar’s current residence in their old convent. Salmon-colored paint or not, you’re headed for a “quintessentially San Antonio spot” where $10 gets you $20 of “excellent, eclectic eats,” according to Zagat.

Tampa: $5 for $10 of Greek cuisine at Louis Pappas Market Cafe
With a menu full of secret family recipes and cafes with friendly and quick service, it’s no surprise that the Louis Pappas Market Cafe family restaurants have seen over eighty years of success in Florida. For $5, today’s Google Offers gets you $10 towards delicious Greek cuisine at any of the cafe’s four locations: Palma Ceia, Citrus Park, Lakeland and Clearwater. Be sure to try the popular “Greek-a-dilla”—a crispy flat bread full of meat, melted feta and cheddar jack cheeses, served with tzatziki.

Check out www.google.com/offers to learn more and subscribe to Google Offers in your city to be among the first to know about the latest and greatest national and local deals, relevant to you.

Posted by Eric Rosenblum, Director of Product Management, Google Offers

Google Offers to feature a week of Zagat’s top-rated eateries in Washington, D.C.

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Since the launch of Google Offers in Washington, D.C. this past September, we’ve partnered with a diverse list of restaurants all over the city, putting their unique fare in the hands (and mouths) of local foodies. We’re kicking off 2012 by showcasing several of the top Zagat rated restaurants in the D.C. community. Our goal is to continue to connect D.C. residents with local staples and foster the discovery of hidden gems.

Starting January 23, if you’re a Google Offers subscriber in Washington, D.C., we’ll send you an email featuring a special deal for a Zagat rated restaurant. If you’re not a subscriber to Google Offers in Washington, D.C. make sure you sign up so you won’t miss out on these fantastic offers. Here’s a sneak peak:

Kaz Sushi Bistro: Zagat calls Chef Kazuhiro Okochi’s hotspot “one of DC’s most inventive and approachable sushi restaurants.” Using only the freshest ingredients (and most cutting edge techniques), Chef Okochi prepares unique cuisine that keeps foodies coming back for more. See for yourself: $15 gets you $30 of refined Japanese fare.
Kushi: Named Washington Post Editors’ Pick, this Japanese gastropub features authentic cuisine in a casual, modern atmosphere. Step outside of your comfort zone for Japanese delicacies like wood grilled eringi mushrooms and miso marinated black cod: $30 gets you $60 toward Japanese fare.
Marvin: Featured by Zagat as a “place to see and be seen,” Marvin combines Southern-fried cooking with a continental twist. Sample soul food inspired by Marvin Gaye, the Prince of Soul himself: $80 gets you a five-course prix fixe meal—including beer and wine flight. Plus, expect a surprise if you attend the exclusive Google Offers event on February 23!
Nage: Dive into a gourmet meal at Nage, where surf-inspired food is prepared using classic French technique. And see what Zagat, Food Network Magazine and The Washington Post are raving about for yourself: $20 gets you $40 of upscale bistro fare at this centrally-located hidden gem.
Zaytinya: Called DC’s “Most Popular Restaurant” by Zagat, Zaytinya has earned accolades everywhere from The Washington Post to the Washingtonian to the James Beard Foundation. Taste Mediterranean like a true gourmet with superstar chef José Andrés’ modern mezze: it’s $45 for the Chef’s Winter Tasting menu at this Gallery Place hotspot. Plus, for every Google Offer purchased, Zaytinya and José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup will donate $20 to World Central Kitchen to help end hunger.

The Google Offers D.C. team has worked hand in hand with these restaurants to bring you these great deals. We hope you enjoy this week of offers for top Zagat rated restaurants and take full advantage of the incredible food scene that our nation’s capital has to offer.

To subscribe to Google Offers in Washington, D.C. and other locations across the U.S., please visit: www.google.com/offers. And check out our free Google Offers app for Android to find and buy great deals on the go.

Posted by Guli Zhu, Business Analyst, Google Offers

Google is going 'Big' at NRF 2012

2012-01-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

In just a few days, we’ll be in New York to take part in the National Retail Federation’s 101st Annual Convention & EXPO-- A.k.a: Retail’s BIG Show. We’re excited to be at the show again this year and look forward to showcasing Google’s Commerce products including Google Wallet, Google Offers, Google Shopper, Google Catalogs, Google Product Search, Google Trusted Stores, Google Commerce Search, Offer Extensions, Product Listing Ads and more.

Come visit us on the EXPO floor at booth number 2375, between January 16-17, to meet with the Google team and learn how our tools can help you attract new customers, connect with shoppers in new ways and drive growth for your business.

We hope to see you next week at the show.

Posted by Keren Michelson, Google Wallet Marketing

Together Google Offers and NYC Bakery, Fat Witch, deliver a sweet deal

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Located in New York's Chelsea Market, Fat Witch Bakery has been wowing customers and critics for more than 20 years with its all-natural brownies. Owner Patricia Helding worked as a Wall Street trader before launching her celebrated line of "witches.” Since then, Helding's bakery has grown to become a local, and national, favorite having been profiled on Oprah's "Favorite Things," the Food Network, and Good Morning America in recent years.

Patricia Helding, Owner, Fat Witch Bakery

Since opening the bakery in 1991, Patricia has never implemented a traditional paid advertising campaign because the “brownies speak for themselves.” However, with hopes to expand her brick and mortar business this year, Patricia has been looking for new ways to drive increased awareness for her brand as well as attract new customers. So, when the Google Offers sales team approached Patricia about running an deal, she jumped at the chance.

“I’m a big Google fan to begin with, so it was a natural move to run a Google Offer. And Google has a huge reach. Everyone in the world uses Google. I like that people from all over can walk into the store and use a Google Offer to experience our brownies,” said Helding.

Together, Patricia and the Google team crafted an offer that accurately matched the Fat Witch brand and business model. In July 2011, the bakery ran its Google Offer: $20 worth of brownies, gifts and more for only $10.

In addition to the increased brand exposure Fat Witch garnered on the Google Offers site, the deal was also promoted on Google’s social media channels and sent to subscribers in New York City via email. "All I had to do was cover the cost of baking,” recalled Helding.

Popular “witches” include the classic chocolate Fat Witch and the Blonde Baby -- think chocolate chip cookie in a brownie form -- (pictured)

And the results were so sweet! In just 24 hours more than 400 Fat Witch offers were sold and traffic into the bakery increased by 10%. “Our number one reason for running a Google Offer was to attract new customers, as well as reward our loyal customers with a great deal,” said Helding. “I would say the majority of people who came into the store to redeem the offer were new to Fat Witch and had never tried our brownies before. We also saw a lot of people come in for our “witching hour” from 5-8pm where brownies are half off.”

Helding is eager to keep growing her business. “Absolutely I'd do another offer with Google. I think it's a great concept. We don't lose money and the offer drove store traffic and really got our brand out there.”

If you’re a merchant and are interested in running a Google Offer, please visit google.com/offers/business.

Posted by Yoshiko Ono, Account Manager, Google Offers

Let’s play some games!

2011-12-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

I’m a huge gamer at heart. And because of this, I love working with Google In-App Payments and helping developers make money from their awesome games. Many of us will be spending the holidays at home enjoying family time and some rest and relaxation. What better way to rest and unwind than with some awesome games that you can play in the browser instantly? Below are some of my favorite games that showcase how developers are utilizing the web platform and creating immersive, monetizable games.

Bastion
Bastion is a story-driven action RPG with beautiful 2D visuals. You control ‘the kid’ (protagonist) with your keyboard and mouse, navigating him around the world to collect pieces and rebuild the bastion. The action is intense and rewarding, and the RPG elements addictive. If you haven’t already purchased the full game, check out the first area for free before buying the full game.

Cordy
Cordy is an adorable puzzle platformer. The goal is to complete a level as quickly as possible while collecting all of the items and enough energy to charge/unlock the exit. It’s gorgeous, fast-paced, and fun to play. Try it for free and you can upgrade to the full version in-game.

Fieldrunners
I’ve been addicted to Fieldrunners (and tower defense games in general) for years, and now it’s available in the browser. Personally, playing in the browser totally fixes my fat finger issues with tower placement. For those of you that have never tried tower defense games, the goal is to prevent enemies from reaching their goal by building a maze of towers that damage them.

GT Academy
Motorsports has always been one of my hobbies, and GT Academy is great because it’s a browser-based racing sim. You can progress through your career achieving better licenses and unlocking faster cars. Once you’ve honed your keyboard driving skills, challenge other players in online multiplayer.

Dragons of Atlantis
I honestly can’t define why this game is so addictive, but I keep going back over and over. Dragons of Atlantis is an empire game where you build your cities, develop your armies, establish alliances, and raid other empires. If you haven’t tried this game, run through the tutorial and you’ll be thoroughly hooked.

Angry Birds
It’s the classic Angry Birds that everyone loves, but with new holiday-themed levels to challenge you. Check out the latest HTML5 Angry Birds.

In addition to the games highlighted here, there are more great games to be found in Chrome Web Store and on Google+. After your holiday feast, have some fun and take a look at what you can now do within your browser.

Posted by Peng Ying, Developer Advocate

Commerce API World Tour

2011-12-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months, the Google Commerce Developer team has been very busy spreading the word about Google’s In-App Payments and Shopping APIs for Search and Content. In addition to meeting developers at events in the United States, we had the opportunity to engage with developer communities around the world.

We started our world tour in Japan at Google Developer Day, Tokyo. We continued globetrotting to Australia for GDD Sydney, then to Spain for Google DevFest, Barcelona and finished in Germany with events at the Berlin GTUG and GDD Berlin.

Peng Ying and Mihai Ionescu presented distribution and monetization strategies for web applications to developers in Tokyo, Sydney and Berlin while Danny Hermes spoke about using the Google Shopping APIs in Barcelona.

We love meeting and talking to developers, and we’re looking forward to continuing to connect with developer communities worldwide. With the recent international expansion of In-App Payments, we’ll be hosting a hangout on Google+ tomorrow December 20th at 11AM PST to answer monetization questions.

For future events, keep an eye on this blog, our social media channels and the Google Developers events page, or join a Google Technology User Group.

Posted by Mihai Ionescu, Commerce Developer Advocate

In-App Payments Expands its Borders

2011-12-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Code and Chromium Blogs)

Since Google In-App Payments launched in July for developers in the United States, we’ve received great feedback on how easy it is to integrate as well as how simple it is for consumers to use. While the API has been off to a strong start, there’s been a growing demand for availability outside of the United States.

So starting today, we are opening developer enrollment for Google In-App Payments to 17 additional countries. In addition to the United States, developers from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom can now use the Google In-App Payments API to incorporate an in-context payment experience into applications on the Chrome Web Store and their own sites.

Developers using In-App Payments are seeing strong conversions and revenue streams thanks to these key features:

Ease of use: the short payment process for consumers takes place right in the developer’s app or site.
Large existing user base: there are millions of Google Wallet online users in over 140 countries.
Low fees: developers pay just 5% on all transactions.

You can get started accepting payments in your web apps by following the tutorial and get answers to any questions in the forum. We look forward to expanding to even more countries in the future, as well as continuously working to improve the Google In-App Payments experience.

Posted by Pali Bhat, Group Product Manager

Trends from the biggest shopping days of the year

2011-12-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Google Retail Blog)

With the biggest shopping weekend of the year behind us here in the U.S., we decided to take a step back, crunch the numbers and look at how people shopped during the extravaganza that spans Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Using Insights for Search and data from Google’s annual consumer intentions shopping study, conducted with our research partner OTX, we identified two stand-out trends this year. One, shoppers are searching more for deals online than ever before and they’re heavily relying on their mobile device as an on-the-go, personal shopping assistant. Here’s what we learned from the data:

It’s all about saving money and time
The search trends clearly showed consumers are more aware of and interested in special deals available over the holiday shopping weekend. Searches for [black friday deals] were up by 30% from last year, and searches for [cyber monday sales] and [cyber monday coupons] grew 15% year over year. Further, on Black Friday, half of the top 20 rising searches on Google involved retailers or deals.

Closing out the long weekend, [cyber monday deals 2011] made the top five growing search term on Cyber Monday. In addition, searches for [black midnight] jumped by over 30% over last year, indicating shoppers were planning to hit the stores when retailers opened their doors at 12am on Black Friday.

Most interesting to us was the growth in queries indicating that shoppers were using the web to plan out their trips to the store. Searches for [black friday store map] were conducted more than twice as often this year as in 2010, and searches for [black friday store hours] were up over 40% for the same time period.

Mobile matters
More and more shoppers are reaching for their phones to compare prices, look for store locations and inventory and find deals. In fact, searches for [mobile coupons] were up 90% over last year’s volume and mobile search volume for retail-related searches on Black Friday this year was up 200% over Black Friday last year.

According to our study, 55% of participants said they will use their smartphone’s location features on some or most shopping trips, while 47% will use a smartphone to compare prices and 42% will use their phone to search for the nearest store.

They might not fit in your pocket, but tablets are a rising device for getting some serious shopping done: 47% of study participants said they use their tablets to search for coupons or rebates and 44% use them to make purchases.

What’s hot this holiday season
It’s always fun to take a look at the most popular product searches just after Thanksgiving and try to predict what this year’s Tickle Me Elmo will be.

While netbooks emerged as a popular product last holiday season, this year’s data shows tablets overtaking netbooks in search popularity.

Also, the most popular products searched for on Google Product Search over the long weekend was the Leapfrog LeapPad Explorer. Other top products in their categories include:

Kitchen Appliance: Keurig Special Edition B60 coffee maker
Board game: Angry Birds Knock on Wood game
Video game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Doll: Lalaloopsy Silly Hair doll - Jewel Sparkles
Digital camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i digital SLR Camera

Finally, our survey found that 43% of consumers embraced the craziness of the Black Friday weekend and as of Cyber Monday, had finished the majority of their holiday shopping. But don’t panic if you’re part of the 57% majority. If last year’s trends hold true for 2011, we’ll see a big spike in shopping traffic in mid-December, when procrastinators like myself rush to get their shopping done.

Posted by Sameer Samat, VP of Product Management, Google

Google Offers Now Live in Columbus, OH

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Columbus, OH area and are looking for something fun to do with the family this holiday season, then today’s inaugural Google Offer is for you: $5 for one admission to the Wildlights holiday light display (up to $14 value) at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

For the past 24 years, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has been spreading holiday cheer with its annual Wildlights holiday light display and festival. From the millions of holiday LED lights, to the Magical Tabernacle Forest Chorus, the Wildlights event is a holiday tradition for locals. This year’s festival features live music and a new attraction called ‘Global Celebrations’, which is a newly designed eight-minute music and light show on Conservation Lake. Today’s Google Offer for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also includes general admission to see the zoo’s 700+ wildlife species and exhibits.

To subscribe to Google Offers in these cities and other locations across the U.S., please visit: www.google.com/offers. You can also find and buy great deals with the free Google Offers app for Android.

Posted by Eric Rosenblum, Director of Product Management, Google Offers

Five tips for stress-free holiday shopping

2011-11-28T09:40:00.001-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

Today, on Cyber Monday—the biggest online shopping day of the year—digi-savvy shoppers will take to the web to get ahead on their holiday shopping. You’ve managed to avoid the Black Friday crowds, but are your online shopping skills up to snuff? Just in the nick of time, here are five tips on how to use Google tools to save time and money this holiday shopping season.

Tip #1. Avoid the lines and parking nightmares—shop from your couch with Google Catalogs
Today we’re announcing a version of Google Catalogs for Android tablets, available for free in Android Market. Now shoppers can browse Google Catalogs on both iOS and Android tablets. With over 125 of your favorite brands and 400 issues across a myriad of categories, Google Catalogs puts all your favorite print catalogs right at your fingertips. You’ll find pages of gift and decorating ideas and get a head start on your holiday shopping list.

Browse Pottery Barn’s Christmas 2011 catalog on Google Catalogs - now available for Android tablets.

Tip #2. Let Google Product Search do your research for you
With so many brands, models and features to choose from, sometimes finding the perfect gift—especially when it comes to electronics and gadgets—can be overwhelming. Google Product Search gives you detailed product information, reviews and price comparisons for all the gifts on your list.

We recently launched a new comparison feature for electronics that lets you quickly see how a particular product stacks up against other similar models and brands. For example, on the Nikon D3100 product page, you can now see—at a glance—feature comparisons between the D3100 and other Nikon models as well as cameras from other brands. Read more about other recent Product Search updates on the Google Commerce blog.

A quick comparison shows the differences in resolution and other camera features.

Tip #3. Bring Google Shopper along as your mobile shopping assistant
Have you ever found yourself standing in a store, trying to decide between, say, two blenders, and wishing you could consult an expert? Google Shopper can help. Wherever you are, this free mobile app for Android and iPhone lets you scan a barcode or search by voice or text to get detailed product information, read reviews and compare prices online and at local stores. You can also use Google Shopper to see if a product is in stock nearby.

Research, share and find products near you with Google Shopper.

Tip #4. Take advantage of holiday savings with Google Offers
Before you hit main street for a shopping extravaganza, check out Google Offers for great deals and save 50% or more on local places to eat, shop and play. Google Offers has teamed up with a number of great retailers this holiday season, making it easy to save while you shop. You can also find and buy great deals from Google Offers with the free Android app.

Tip #5. Simplify your online and offline shopping experience with Google Wallet
Save time and money by shopping with Google Wallet — a smart, virtual wallet that stores your payment cards, offers and more on your phone and online. When you shop with merchants that accept Google Wallet online just use your Google Wallet username and password to complete your purchase—there’s no need to pull out your credit card or enter your shipping address with every transaction. If you’re at the register at stores like American Eagle, Macy’s, Gap, Inc or any of our other merchant partners, take a minute to try the Google Wallet app, available on Nexus S 4G for Sprint, to tap, pay and save.

I hope these tips and Google tools help to make your shopping experience a little easier (and fun!) this Cyber Monday, and throughout the holiday season.

Posted by Stephanie Tilenius, Vice President of Commerce

Make smart holiday shopping decisions with Google Product Search

2011-11-23T08:49:00.001-08:00

Just in time for the holidays, we’ve made a number of improvements to Google Product Search that make it easier for you to find the products you want and feel confident in your purchases.

‘Best match’ for specific products

Sometimes you may visit Google Product Search with a specific product in mind. With our new ‘Best match” feature, we highlight the product we think you’re looking for even faster. When you search PowerShot SD1400, for example, you’ll see a ‘Best match’ product at the top of the page.

‘Popular products’ appearing for more searches

Let’s say you’re in the market for a netbook this year, but you’re just starting your research. When you search for a general term like ‘netbook,’ you’ll see a list of products ranked in order of popularity, which can help you quickly focus your search on a few models. We’ll also give suggestions on how you can refine your search, in this case by brand and operating system. Over the past few months, we’ve added popularity ranking to more search results pages, like wireless routers, heart rate monitors, vacuum cleaners, toddler car seats, and many more.

More rich information to help you with your research

When you click on a product that catches your eye, you’ll be taken to a product page containing product spec, reviews, prices, and local availability. We’ve updated the ‘Product Features’ section of the product page (ex: Samsung Chromebook) to help you interpret detailed product specs. You’ll also see a product info bar at the top of the page that contains basic information about the product you’re viewing and remains in place as you scroll down the page.

Additionally, the product page now also displays the date that the product first appeared on Google Product Search, so it’s easy to tell if you’re viewing a newer or older product model. Of course, our pages still let you read reviews, compare prices, and find items in stock nearby.

Improving the apparel shopping experience

Back in September, we introduced the first of our efforts to improve the apparel shopping experience on Google Product Search, incorporating the most popular features from Boutiques.com. We’ve now expanded this experience to include shoes (ex: platform pumps), displaying larger product images and giving you more ways to refine your search by brand, color, style, and other criteria.

As with dresses, when you click on a particular shoe, the product page displays visually similar styles giving you more products to browse and consider as you shop.

Browse for gift ideas on the new curated Mobile Product Search homepage

This holiday season, many of us will be using our smartphones to research products when we’re out and about. With the mobile version of Google Product Search, you can get instant access to detailed product information, reviews, and prices wherever you are.

If you find yourself with some extra time on your hands in line at the mall or simply need more gift ideas, get inspired by browsing the new curated homepage for Mobile Product Search. To access the page, open the Google Search app and select the ‘Shopping’ tab. We update this page regularly, so check back frequently for seasonal gift ideas, fashion trends, and more.

Posted by Andrew Poon, Senior Product Manager, Google Shopping team

Google Offers Adds Six More U.S. Cities to its Rapidly Growing Roster

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

What do Detroit, Indianapolis, Ft. Worth, Long Beach, Sacramento and St. Louis have in common? You guessed it! As of today, they are the newest cities to provide awesome personalized deals to local city dwellers and visitors via Google Offers.

Now for the good stuff. Here are the details behind the first deals in our new cities:

Detroit: $6 for one ticket to North American International Auto Show (up to $12 value)
If you call your car your “baby” and love all things on four wheels, consider the third week in
January 2012 your new favorite holiday. Stay ahead of the road-riding curve and check out the
latest and greatest developments in automotive technology, design and engineering at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

Indianapolis: $4 for $9 of Cajun cuisine at Papa Roux
Serving up a delicious Cajun menu, Papa Roux is a local gem offering over 10 different varieties of po-boy (think pulled pork, grilled onion, roast chicken) served on fresh French bread delivered daily. Today’s Google Offer is good for both Papa Roux locations at Eastside and City Market, so you can get an authentic taste of Nola without leaving Indy.

Ft. Worth: $5 for one adult ticket to ‘Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome’ at the Kimbell Art Museum ($14 value)
We may not remember a lot from 8th grade art class, but wherever paintings have bold contrasts of light and dark, Caravaggio’s dramatic “chiaroscuro” technique comes rushing to mind. See the major influence this great artist made on the 17th-century Roman art scene at the second largest North American display of the Italian artist’s work, Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome, which features more than 50 paintings and places the master’s influential works next to pieces by some of the artists he inspired.

Long Beach: $2 for $12 of comfort food & drinks at At Last Cafe
It’s easy to see why At Last Cafe is beloved by locals. This quaint neighborhood eatery elevates the art of homestyle cooking while keeping prices low. The renowned chef, John McLaughlin, brings a passion for comfort food infused with fresh, local ingredients to the kitchen. In fact, many dishes feature fruit from his very own backyard.

Sacramento: $5 for $15 of burgers, sandwiches, salads and more at Hamburger Patties
The days of ‘50s diners may be long gone, but you can still get a great burger, fries and shake in Sacramento at Hamburger Patties. With 18 different burger offerings, 16 sandwiches, weekend brunch, a separate menu for vegetarians and mighty meal choices for kids, Hamburger Patties is a go-to spot for River City residents.

St. Louis: $12 for $25 of Italian fare and drinks at Zia’s “On the Hill”
Founded by two brothers, this neighborhood favorite features homemade Italian fare, plus a long list of red, white and sparkling wines. Sample such delicious plates as the Portabella Asparagi—jumbo ravioli stuffed with Portobello mushrooms and dusted with fontinella cheese $11.50). No matter what dish you decide, rest assured you’re feasting on fare fit for any Italian zia.

To subscribe to Google Offers in these cities and other locations across the U.S., please visit: www.google.com/offers. You can also find and buy great deals with the free Google Offers app for Android.

Posted by Eric Rosenblum, Director of Product Management, Google Offers

Google Offers brings more deals to the Big Apple

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

The world’s holiday shopping capital now has more holiday cheer.

Since we introduced a larger selection of personalized deals in San Francisco a few weeks ago, we’ve received great feedback from our merchant partners and also from our customers--who are enjoying access to our expanded collection of 30+ daily deals for foodies, adventure seekers, families and more. There’s no doubt that people love getting personalized offers and merchants benefit from connecting with the right customers.

That’s why we’re happy to announce that we’re expanding deals from our partners to Google Offers subscribers in New York City. Starting today, New Yorkers can also find a greater selection of offers and receive multiple deals that match their personal interests all in one place, and accessible through the web, in email, or on their mobile device.

Today we’re also expanding our roster of partners to include CityLikes, Dealster, Eversave, and Weforia. We’ve also enhanced the Google Offers site design to make our expanded inventory of offers more easily discoverable and personalized to subscribers interests.

With the new Google Offers site design, even more deals from our partners are visible on each page.

In the coming months, we’ll continue to roll out our growing inventory of deals to more markets where Google Offers is available.

You can subscribe to receive deals that match your interests and learn more about Google Offers at www.google.com/offers. Also, you can always find deals from Google Offers on the go with the Google Offers app on Android.

If you’re a deal provider and are interested in working with Google Offers, please contact us via this form.

Posted by Abhishek Rajgarhia, Software Engineer, Google Offers

Simplifying payments on the mobile web with Google Wallet

2011-11-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Earlier today we announced that Google Checkout is transitioning to Google Wallet. And now, we’re expanding the Google Wallet online service with a new and easy integration option for merchants. This solution is first available and optimized for the mobile web, where shoppers often abandon their carts when faced with lengthy checkout forms. With this solution, online merchants can retain control over their payment processing and provide a more streamlined experience for shoppers, without additional fees.

Customers can pay using cards saved in their online Google Wallet on m.fandango.com

Starting today, we’re rolling out this new service on the mobile websites of Fandango and MovieTickets.com. When consumers visit these sites from an Android phone, BlackBerry or iPhone, they will have the option to make a purchase using Google Wallet, without the need to fill out multiple forms or leave the merchant’s site.

At this time, we’re offering this new service to select merchants in the U.S. If you’re a merchant and interested in learning more, please request contact from a Google representative here.

Posted by Divya Agarwalla, Product Manager, Google Wallet