Google Inc set to launch a long-awaited service called Google Checkout, which some analysts said could help online merchants boost sales and convince them to commit more advertising money to the Web search leader.
Analysts were mixed on whether the product, initially available only in the United States, puts eBay Inc's PayPal online payment system in Google's competitive sights.
The new offering, referred to in news and analyst reports as GBuy or Google Wallet, promises online sellers an easy way to add a checkout to their sites and can be used in addition to other options such as PayPal or a merchant's own pay system.
Google said Checkout stores names, shipping and credit card information and eliminates the need for consumers to resubmit that data with each purchase. Google is responsible for processing the credit card payments and keeping data safe.
"We think we're making e-commerce a lot more efficient and easier to use," Salar Kamangar, Google's vice president of product management, told Reuters.
Google charges merchants 2 percent of the value of each sale plus 20 cents per transaction - a fee that early users said was in line with other options.
The company, along with online stores run by Starbucks Corp, Timberland, Levi Strauss & Co and underwear seller Jockey, is among the first to try Checkout. Users will be shown in search results next to a shopping cart icon, and Bresee hopes it can convert a higher percentage of shoppers into buyers.