Google On the Move

Mike Siers - June 2, 2011

In case you haven’t noticed it, Google is on the move. In the past 2-weeks, they have launched the +1 button, Google Wallet, and now they have just released Google Offers.

Google Offers is the company’s response to Groupon, but it features integration with Google Wallet, the new mobile payment system reveled last week. The great part about integrating with Google Wallet is that customers do not have to bring the coupon printouts in the store with them. Instead, consumers will only have to bring their Android, (NFC-capable) phones.

>Tuesday, at the D9 Conference, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and VP of Commerce Stephanie Tilenius announced the launch of Google Offers beta in Portland, OR.Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, also indicated that Google Offers was the business plan for Google Wallet and the way in the company planned to monetize its new payments system.

Google choose to launch their beta in Portland, OR, citing that “Portlanders know how to mix the urban (killer coffee, music and art) and the small-town (easy walking, biking and socializing). There’s no end to the city’s great restaurants, coffee shops, hot spots and places to explore. That’s why, when we started planning the Google Offers beta, we knew Portland was the ideal place to get it all kicked off.”

They hope to bring Google Offers to other cities soon, with New York City and the San Francisco Bay area as next stops (reportedly by summer: http://goo.gl/HmdEb)

So with deal services, like Groupon and Living Social, Google seems to be in the right position, especially with the integration of Google Wallet. According to the Associate Press, daily-deal revenue is growing much faster than overall e-commerce. In just three years, the business model has changed local advertising, delivering faster results than other marketing methods. Store owners get immediate revenue and can see exactly how many customers an offer brings in.

Sounds pretty good to me, but I am curious about feedback. Has your business used deal-sites to market your offering?