Google pushing forward with interests in mobile commerce
Google muscled its way into mobile commerce only a short while ago, but the company is already working to reform its position in this competitive sector. In 2011, Google launched its Wallet platform, which allows users to make mobile payments. The Wallet was meant to be the company’s flagship in the field of mobile commerce, but received scathing reviews and suffered from technological problems. Google has been working to improve the platform ever since and believes that the Wallet is not capable of offering high quality mobile commerce services.
Checkout service to be shut down in six months
Google is so certain that the Wallet platform is ready for the limelight that the company has announced the closure of its Checkout service. Google Checkout had been used in the past to help facilitate digital payments for online merchants. The service was moderately popular, but was unable to attract the same kind of support that PayPal’s own services had attracted over the years. In six months, Google’s Checkout service will be shut down, replaced entirely by the Wallet.
Play developers to transition to Wallet Merchant Center
The transition will not only affect online merchants as many game developers also rely on the current Checkout system. Over the coming weeks, Google will be transitioning its Play developers to the Wallet Merchant Center, which will allow them to collect payments from consumers. Google believes that this will be a more intuitive system for the mobile games sector as the system itself is designed with mobile technology in mind.
Google Wallet continues to attract attention
Google aims to create a unified approach to the mobile commerce sector. While the Wallet platform received harsh criticism when it was initially launched, it has managed to attract a rather strong following. Consumers have praised the platform for the convenience it brings to the shopping experience.
Accidental ad clicks seen throughout mobile marketing
Mobile marketing has become a very important aspect of the business world. With smart phone penetration so high among consumers, companies interested in reaching out to a broad audience must find ways to engage mobile consumers. Thus, mobile marketing initiatives are quickly being formulated by companies that realize the potential benefits of appealing to mobile consumers. Google is one of these companies, but the technology giant has been seeing complaints regarding in-application advertisements that could be causing consumers some problems.
In-app ads are common in the mobile space
In-app advertisements are a common way for app developers to generate revenue, especially those that specialize in developing free applications. Developers often sell empty space in applications to advertisers. Most of these ads are designed to be somewhat discreet, or at least out of the way of an application’s primary content. Google suggests, however, that a growing number of people are accidentally clicking these advertisements. While unintentional clicking may be a small problem for some people, mobile advertisements, especially those found in applications, often collect information from a mobile device upon consumer engagement.
Google takes steps to cut down on misclicks
Google is taking steps to curb accidental clicking in mobile marketing through the introduction of a new service for all Android smart phones. This service is meant to confirm all clicks that are made on in-app advertisements. With the new service, when a consumer click on an advertisement, their smart phone will ask if they truly want to follow the ad. If confirmed, the advertisement will play out as designed. Google does not expect that the new service will have any negative impact on mobile marketing campaigns.
New Google service may help mobile marketing
Mobile marketing is a popular way to get in touch with a new generation of consumer, but consumers are often agitated by accidental clicks. Curbing consumer frustration may actually help improve the acceptance of mobile marketing among consumers and help advertisers achieve more accurate analytic data that could help them craft better campaigns in the future.
