Google Checkout’s New Killer Feature
Although super affiliates may cringe when they read this, some affiliates still use PayPal for transacting on the web (especially if they are doing anything with the eBay Partner Network… but that’s for another post).
Let’s face it, the cut given to PayPal is often well worth the convenience of payment collection and not having to verify credit cards if your promotions involve physical goods or services outside of the major networks.
Google Checkout launched about 3 years ago (and we had a fun time figuring it out on ReveNews) and has had its spots of contention with the wider affiliate community. 
Some see it as Google’s way of becoming an affiliate itself or cannibalizing the CPA market while ensuring higher returns for Google’s bread-and-butter paid search plays. I’m not so sure about those tinfoil hat conspiracies, and I haven’t seen much in the way of data (besides the circumstantial kind) implying that is what Checkout eventually means for the affiliate industry.
Even still… many affiliates use PayPal and I think many affiliates (more?) will be using Checkout as we all grow up with the web and begin to feel comfortable moving and storing our data up in the Google cloud.
Why?
The new updates that Google Checkout is rolling out:
We’re happy to announce the launch of the Google Checkout store gadget in Google Labs. In a matter of minutes, you can create an online store that’s powered by Google Checkout and has inventory managed in a Google Docs spreadsheet. Selling online has never been easier — no complicated coding or technical tasks are required.
Basically, you can now pipe your data from transactions through Google Checkout into a Google Docs spreadsheet. Simple. Easy. Searchable. Fantastic.
PayPal’s claim to superiority has always been its ease of use and integration with large sellers like eBay or product driven sites.
The game just changed with this one little switch. Watch for Google Checkout to continue to realize its potential and grow up from its 3 year old toddler stage as the web continues to figure out responsible transactional modes.
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