Marketworks announced that in conjunction with Google they have released twelve new standard templates for ecommerce websites. Customers can select from 12 new professionally designed storefront templates to instantly transform the look of their Google Checkout enabled storefronts. Previously, customers only had two choices for their storefronts; use a simplistic template that was obviously pre-designed or contract a designer to develop a professionally designed site. The new templates are highly customisable to match the owners own brand.
Nothing particularly surprising there, but what is amusing is to see that Marketworks are practically sucking up to Google
So does this mean they’d never have thought of customisable templates that were Checkout enabled if Google hadn’t contacted them? Well so much for Marketworks, a more interesting read today is “Google Checkout’s No PayPal Killer” which slates Checkout declaring “How unsurprising: Bribe people heavily, and they’ll use your service.” That pretty much sums it up, and Marketworks have fallen for it too
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I think it’s important to point out the comment at the base of the Bus.2.0 article, and the statement by Eric Schmidt… the theme here is not to develop a PayPal killer, but instead to leverage the expertise in relevant ad service in a new venue – the end-of-transaction area. The bribery/reward is there to increase penetration, and make the ad service that’s sure to come more effective.
Google Checkout’s No PayPal Killer
PayPal breaks even, at best, on credit-card transactions. But it makes a ton of money on sales where it transfers money directly from bank or PayPal accounts. PayPal charges merchants the same fee to process those transactions but pays much, much less to banks to execute them.
Perhaps this is why Paypal continue to state in their e-mails to UK sellers that echeques will normally take 4 days to clear… when they know it takes 9 / 10 days.