When using Google Checkout makes sense...not very often

[mandy]

This article isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for Google Checkout.

I’ve started to recommend Google Checkout to a number of small businesses. I have 3 criteria for making the recommendation:

1. The merchant does little to no in-house email marketing (promotional, monthly newsletter, community building [thanks, Dave], etc.)
2. The merchant makes little to no money through upsells
3. The merchant has little to no repeat business

Ok, I guess there’s a 4th criteria…thinking short term and only about top line revenue growth. Ok. Ok. You know my opinion on this one.

Even with the $50K? $100K? in free AdWords clicks Google Checkout is throwing around, I still can’t make sense of this for an internet retailer 400 (or 2000 if there was such a list) merchant. Unless Checkout passes back the email address of the customer for 80%+ of the purchases, has amazing upsell functionality (which I know is in the works), and offers a short term contract, I just don’t think it makes sense...

full article: http://www.comparisonengines.com/2006/11...kes-sense/

[maryrussel]

This is pretty much what XPP has been saying all along.

[thentavius]

I'm probably going to turn off the Google Checkout integration in my site's cart. Whenever I try to do test orders through it, it hangs and hangs...

[stardust]

Considering the fact that the *whole world* was waiting for them to come up with an alternative to paypal, you'd think they could've done it right and grabbed all the business.  Instead they offer a fascist mess -- as bad or WORSE than paypal!  >

[xppman]

[quote author=stardust link=topic=5907.msg31934#msg31934 date=1163381420]
Considering the fact that the *whole world* was waiting for them to come up with an alternative to paypal, you'd think they could've done it right and grabbed all the business.  Instead they offer a fascist mess -- as bad or WORSE than paypal!  >
[/quote]
As much as I don't trust PP. I have to agree with the above statement.
Their process is cumbersome, secretive and anti competitive. IMO  :

[thentavius]

It's really too bad, too.