Google has unveiled Google Checkout, a service that would save consumers' financial information so they could purchase items from Web sites more quickly. Analysts believe the new service could be a
boon for online merchants, encouraging consumers to make impulsive buys. The roster of participating merchants continues to grow, and consumers are urged to sign up. Surveys suggest that some 50
percent of consumers are too concerned with credit fraud to make purchases online. Secure payment alternatives, like eBay's PayPal and Bill Me Later, have helped assuage some of those fears. Google
Checkout is more like a personal online wallet. It stores credit-card info in a database. When users click on the logo at a merchant's Web site, the consumer's info pops up. You scan, then click, and
that's it. By contrast, PayPal, the runaway online checkout service leader with 185 million users, requires more steps. For that reason, eBay is making a big push to give PayPal more visibility. It
recently inked a deal with MasterCard that would let allow its users to use PayPal on any site that accepts MasterCard. If Google Checkout proves to be easier to use, it may steal market from eBay.
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