Tune in to I/O Live

Google I/O is just around the corner! With tickets selling out in 20 minutes, we know that many of you who wanted to attend are unable to. In an effort to bring I/O to you, we’re live streaming some of the sessions.

Tune in on Wednesday, June 27th at 4:00 PM PDT to catch our session on monetizing digital goods online with Google Wallet, featuring Google engineers and a guest partner.

For links to this session and all the live streams, stay tuned to our Google I/O site:
developers.google.com/io.

And remember that you can get in touch with us year-round. We hold bi-weekly office hours on a Google+ Hangout to answer your payments-related questions. Find the next scheduled office hours at developers.google.com/live.

Posted by Peng Ying, Developer Programs Engineer

Enjoy a summer of free wi-fi in NYC, courtesy of Google Offers

Since launching Google Offers in NYC a year ago, we’ve worked with hundreds of local businesses to bring great deals to New Yorkers who want to make the most of their city. This summer, we’re excited to bring another great deal to New York City: free Boingo Wi-Fi in subway stations and Boingo hotzones across Manhattan. People can surf the Internet, or discover great local deals from Google Offers, while they’re waiting at the subway platform or enjoying summertime in the Big Apple.

Starting today through September 7th, anyone can access Boingo Wi-Fi for free at six New York City subway stations:

• A, C, E station at Eighth Avenue and West 14th Street
• L station at Eighth Avenue and West 14th Street
• C, E station at Eighth Avenue and West 23rd Street
• 1, 2, 3 station at Seventh Avenue and West 14th Street
• F, M station at Sixth Avenue and West 14th Street
• L station at Sixth Avenue and West 14th Street

To stay connected above ground, Google Offers is also sponsoring free Wi-Fi at more than 200 Boingo hotzones across Manhattan.

To subscribe to Google Offers, please visit: www.google.com/offers. And follow the Google NYC twitter handle (@GoogleNYC) for more details on where you can find free Wi-Fi.

Posted by Jennifer Karakkal, Product Marketing Manager, Google Offers

Google Offers app now available on iPhone

Today we’re announcing the new Google Offers app for iPhone. Now, iPhone users can discover, buy and redeem Google Offers, as well as deals from our partners, on-the-go.

Some of the features of the new Google Offers app for iPhone include:

• Instant savings, just around the corner: Quickly discover offers near you in map view or search for deals by category to easily find the right deal for you.
• See & use the deals you want, when you want them: All of your purchased and saved offers are tracked in "My Offers,” for easy access from your iPhone or online.
• Savings made simple: Instantly redeem most offers with your iPhone, without having to print vouchers.
• Never miss a great deal: Get notifications when new deals are available or when a deal that you’ve purchased or saved is about to expire.

Browse deals near you in map view, purchase offers directly from the app, and get instant access to all of your deals in “My Offers” 

Download the Google Offers app for iPhone today from The App Store. This app is only available in the U.S.

Posted by Robert Kim, Product Manager, Google Offers

Father’s Day gift ideas from Google Offers

He’s quirky. One-of-a-kind. There’s no one like him. And best of all, he’s your dad. This Father’s Day, score a gift from Google Offers that’s as original as he is. Whether you’re looking for something to keep Dad busy, stylish, connected, active or just well fed, Google Offers has a wide variety of gifts that he’ll dig—at prices you’ll love.

Discover these great gift ideas for all kinds of dads. Yup, even yours.

For tech-savvy dads
SharperImage.com: $15 for $30 toward electronics, gadgets & more innovative gifts
It doesn’t matter how old he is, Dad sure does love his toys. When it comes to the latest, most creative gadgets, SharperImage.com has everything Dad’s ever dreamed of and a whole lot more.

GoIncase.com: $25 for $50 toward iPhone, iPad & MacBook accessories
Dad taught you how to drive, but you probably taught him how to text. For an extra special Father’s Day message, grab him an Offer from Incase so he can keep his favorite gadget stylish and scratch-free.

Zazzle.com: $9 for $18 toward custom skins for phones, laptops & more electronics
Give Dad’s gadget a whole new look at Zazzle.com, where you can protect and personalize hundreds of devices, from cell phones to tablets, with a custom skin showcasing your own snapshots and designs.

For stylin’ dads
SwissOutpost.com: $75 for a Wenger Classic Field Swiss Military Watch (up to $195 value)
His style in one word? Classic. With a world-class Swiss Army watch from Wenger, Dad’s timepiece can be as timeless as his style.

BNYCOnline.com: $25 for $50 toward designer footwear, clothing & accessories
Give props to Dad’s high style with a Father’s Day gift that speaks to his fashion cred (or passion for staying active). For the latest and greatest sneakers, running shoes, and designer apparel, check out BNYCOnline.com.

For foodie dads
MeatHub.com: $69.99 for your choice of ultimate grilling combos ($169 value)
This Father’s Day, ensure Dad feels like king of the grill—or at least eats like one. Make Dad’s rotisserie dreams come true with the delivery of one of two ultimate grilling combos from MeatHub.com.

For creative dads
Zazzle.com: $37 for a custom gallery-wrapped canvas print ($119 value)
These days, it’s easier than ever to make Dad a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Visit Zazzle.com and turn that special snapshot into a stunning 20”x16” gallery-wrapped canvas print. Talk about original art.

Check your inbox for other original Father’s Day gift ideas from Google Offers.

To subscribe to Google Offers, please visit: www.google.com/offers. And follow our Google+ Page for news and updates from the Google Offers team.

Posted by Shazia Makhdumi, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Google Offers

Connecting shoppers and great stores online

Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog

Online shopping is great for many reasons, but most of all it’s a convenient and fast way to turn your intent to buy that new pair of running shoes, for example, into an actual purchase. But shoppers tell us they’re often nervous about buying from online stores they don’t know. We created the free Google Trusted Stores program to help solve this problem. When shoppers see the Google Trusted Store badge, they know in a snap they’re shopping with a reputable retailer and they can feel confident making an informed purchase.

We’ve been testing the program since last fall with about 50 online merchants and more than 10 million orders. It’s working even better than we hoped, generating positive feedback from shoppers and increasing sales for merchants. Starting today, Google Trusted Stores is open to all U.S. merchants who want to apply.

Helping shoppers choose stores they can trust
When shopping online, you may come across the Google Trusted Store badge. Hover over it and you’ll see a “report card” which shows “grades” for that merchant’s shipping and service, including more precise metrics about what the grades mean.

The Google Trusted Store badge and report card

This badge is only awarded to online stores that deliver a great overall experience, so even if you haven’t shopped with this merchant before, you can easily tell if they are trustworthy, ship quickly and reliably, and offer exceptional customer service. If there’s a problem with your purchase, we’re here to help. When you buy from a Google Trusted Store, you can opt in to get up to $1,000 lifetime purchase protection per shopper. And our dedicated customer service team is there to work with you and the merchant to assist in resolving the issue.

Helping merchants demonstrate their excellence and earn new business
Google Trusted Stores helps online stores attract new customers, increase sales and differentiate themselves by showing off their excellent service via the badge on their websites. Soon the badge will also appear on Google.com ads and in Google Shopping results.

Google Trusted Store badge on AdWords

Over the last nine months of the pilot, our tests show that participating in this program can help merchants big and small. For example, Wayfair, the largest online-only retailer of home goods and one of the top 50 largest online retailers as ranked by Internet Retailer, increased sales* on its site by 2.3 percent with Google Trusted Stores. And Beau-coup, a specialty online favors and gifts retailer, saw an 8.6 percent increase*. Take a look at our merchant success stories to learn more about how Google Trusted Stores has had a positive impact on website conversion rates and average order sizes for online retailers.

Google Trusted Stores is entirely free, both for shoppers and for online stores. We’re still testing the most helpful ways to display Trusted Stores information to shoppers, so you may see different versions, or none at all, while we conduct experiments. If you’re a merchant and would like to participate in the Google Trusted Stores program, please apply.

Posted by Tom Fallows, Group Product Manager, Google Shopping

*Increased sales percentages are based on a combination of uplift in conversion and average order size.

Schemer brings you Google Offers to help you say ‘I’ve done it’

Cross-posted on the Schemer blog.

Since Schemer launched we’ve been thrilled to see so many schemes marked as ‘Done’, but we know you have more in you! To help you out, Schemer will now scour the plethora of deals on Google Offers and intelligently find ones that match activities you’ve been meaning to do.

We have been pilot-testing this Google Offers integration for the past few weeks and have received wonderful feedback from our users (thanks!). We’re now excited to open it up to more users.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to ‘Go Skydiving’? You might receive an email with a killer deal on a tandem jump from a skydiving company in your area, in which case the time is ripe to jump out of that perfectly good airplane!





Maybe you’ve been meaning to check out what the deal is with that mysterious mansion down the street. Schemer will help you quell that curiosity at the most opportune (and money saving!) time with a brief email:

You can also buy Google Offers directly from a scheme’s detail page if you happen to come across one while searching for things to do:

Worried about getting too much email? Have no fear—Schemer will only send you information about great deals for schemes you’ve specifically said you want to do. Also, you can always opt-out of the offer notifications under your Settings.

You can start receiving offers hand-picked for you by simply adding more schemes. Search for some of your favorite categories, select a few that you’ve always been meaning to do, and indicate ‘I want to do it’. Let Schemer and Google Offers do all the rest.

Intrigued and not on Schemer yet? Join now at www.schemer.com.

We hope that these offers add that little bit of extra motivation you might need to get out there and start marking your schemes ‘Done’.

As always, Happy Scheming!

Posted by Huy Nguyen, Schemer Front-end Engineer

It’s Food Truck Day in Orlando, presented by Google Offers

Let the good deals roll. Google Offers in Orlando is kicking off summer by showcasing the latest food movement: food that moves. Food trucks represent the ultimate in micro-sized businesses that collectively have a huge impact on local culture.

Today only, you’ll have a chance to save 50% at six of the city’s roving restaurants: from the most beloved to some waiting to be discovered. Don't miss out on this one-day wonder because after today it’s rolling, rolling, gone.

Here’s a sneak peak:

• Melissa’s Chicken and Waffles ($4 for $8): These popular Southern-style sandwiches marry savory poultry with sweet, doughy battercakes. Melissa’s signature dish, buttermilk fried chicken with gravy and syrup folded into a warm, fluffy waffle, is served alongside other cooked-to-order specials like waffles topped with coconut chicken and pineapple chili sauce or, for dessert, with blueberry cheesecake. Savory, sweet, and hot off the iron at any time of day.
• La Empanada ($3.50 for $7): Gourmet eats meet low-key convenience at La Empanada, where neatly-filled pastry pockets make for inspired handheld meals. Try the truck’s “envelope food” in creative, baked or fried varieties like truffle mac and cheese and lentil sloppy Joe. Save room for a dark chocolate and sea salt pocket for dessert. After all, the empanada is the ultimate mobile munchy.
• Fork In The Road ($5 for $10): Manned by French Culinary Institute grad Bryce Balluff, this traveling kitchen offers a seasonal menu of artisanal signature sandwiches, mac and cheese creations, and decadent desserts. Their cookiewiches—ice cream stuffed between two fresh-baked cookies—are a perfect way to cool off on a scorching summer day.
• Sit ‘N Stay Pet Cafe ($5 for $10): Run by animal-loving sisters, this traveling treat-machine and online shop serves up homemade canine and cat delights. Treat your pooch to a Jamaican Bark Patty, Cake Pup or a grain-free Banana Nut “Ruffin,” and get felines purring with shrimp-flavored Cat Bread. The gourmet nibbles are so tail-waggingly good that owners may have a hard time keeping their paws off.
• The Flattery ($4 for $8): Pizza gets personal at The Flattery, where they use local ingredients to serve up personal-size and personalized gourmet flatbreads. Their spread of inspired varieties include the Piggy Pie, Say Cheese, and Flatter Me Q (smoked chicken and caramelized onions with homemade apple coffee BBQ sauce). Each mini-pizza is made to order and to please, so customize away. The folks at this fancy curbside kitchen are so accommodating, you’ll be flattered.
• Que Rico ($5 for $10): Catering to the late-night crowds in South Orange, Que Rico brings Miami’s saucy Latin heat up north, serving comfort food classics with South American flair. For the ultimate “Rico fix” after a big night out, try the Salchi Papas—a platter of fried hot dogs and french fries topped with their special pink, pimento and cilantro sauces. If that doesn’t pull you in, the Latin party music bumping from the truck definitely will.

Orlando is much more than theme parks (though we love them). See more of what O-Town has to offer. Subscribe now.

Posted by Lisbeth Kaiser, Associate Editor, Google Offers

Building a better shopping experience

Truly great search is all about turning intentions into actions, lightning fast. In the early days of Google, users would type in a query, we’d return ten blue links, and they’d move on happy. Today people want more. When searching for great local restaurants, people want places to eat right there on the results page, not another click or two away. It’s the same with hotels, flight options, directions and shopping.

Organizing these types of data can be very different from indexing the Web, because the information is often not publicly available. It requires deep partnerships with different industries—from financial services and travel to merchants who sell physical goods.

Today we’re announcing a new initiative to improve our shopping experience over time--so that shoppers (your customers) can easily research purchases, compare different products, their features and prices, and then connect directly with merchants to make their purchase.

Google Shopping

First, we are starting to transition Google Product Search in the U.S. to a purely commercial model built on Product Listing Ads. This new product discovery experience will be called Google Shopping and the transition will be complete this fall. We believe that having a commercial relationship with merchants will encourage them to keep their product information fresh and up to date. Higher quality data—whether it’s accurate prices, the latest offers or product availability—should mean better shopping results for users, which in turn should create higher quality traffic for merchants.

We’re giving merchants a few months to transition to this new model, and we’re also offering some incentives:

• All merchants who create Product Listing Ads by August 15, 2012 will automatically receive a monthly credit for 10% of their total Product Listing Ad spend through the end of 2012; and
• Existing Google Product Search merchants can receive $100 AdWords credit toward Product Listing Ads if they fill out a form before August 15, 2012.

To learn more and get started merchants can visit: www.google.com/ads/shopping

Ranking in Google Shopping, when the full transition is complete this fall, will be based on a combination of relevance and bid price--just like Product Listing Ads today. This will give merchants greater control over where their products appear on Google Shopping. Over time they will also have the opportunity to market special offers such as “30% off all refracting telescopes.”

In addition, merchants who want to stand out from the crowd can choose to participate in our new Google Trusted Stores program. Google Trusted Stores is a badge for e-commerce sites which gives users background on merchants—whatever their size—including ratings for on-time shipping and customer service. Google stands behind merchants that have earned the Google Trusted Stores badge with a $1,000 lifetime purchase protection guarantee per shopper.

Google.com

Second, starting today we’ve also begun to experiment with some new commercial formats on Google.com that will make it easier for users to find and compare different products. These include larger product images that give shoppers a better sense of what is available and also the ability to refine a search by brand or product type. For example, here’s what stargazers could see on Google.com when searching for [telescopes].

Search results for [telescopes] in the new Google Shopping experience

These new formats are clearly labeled “sponsored,” and take space currently occupied by AdWords.

If people are looking for a specific product, such as [Celestron CPC 800], they might also see a new design that summarizes information about that particular item neatly in one place. They can then easily decide whether it is what they want, and buy it from their merchant of choice.

Results for specific product queries like [Celestron CPC 800] may include reviews and product attributes

We’re excited about building delightful shopping experiences for consumers in close partnership with merchants. Google Shopping will empower businesses of all sizes to compete effectively--and it will help shoppers turn their intentions into actions lightning fast. Today’s changes are a first step toward providing technology, tools and traffic to help power the retail ecosystem.

Posted by Sameer Samat, Vice President of Product Management, Google Shopping

Taste, cook, and dine with local celebrity chefs with Google Offers’ Chef Exclusives in Austin and Dallas, TX

Whether they’re licking BBQ off their fingers or enjoying gourmet food truck eats, we’re pretty sure the thing Texans love most (maybe after football) is quality, locally-crafted food. To showcase that, Google Offers has set the table for Chef Exclusives, a series of inspired culinary experiences with chefs from acclaimed local restaurants in Austin and Dallas. For the next few weeks, customers will be able to purchase offers to join chefs for everything from cooking demonstrations at the chef’s home to a four-course brunch and cooking lesson with an executive chef.

           

 

The series kicks off on May 30th in Austin where we have 11 chefs from top-notch restaurants lined up. The first offer features celebrity chef and James Beard Award-winner, Tyson Cole (you might recognize his name from the Food Network's Iron Chef America). As the owner and executive chef of Uchiko, Cole will host Google Offers customers for a seven-course dinner in the restaurant’s private dining room.

Dallas will feature 12 experiences with chefs from the city’s finest restaurants, starting with none other than Top Chef’s own Tre Wilcox on June 11th. Wilcox, the executive chef at Village Marquee Grill & Bar, will give a cooking lesson and demonstration before enjoying a four-course brunch with the lucky group of Offers customers.

Even if you don’t live in Austin or Dallas you can spend time with both Tyson Cole and Tre Wilcox, as we've partnered with Zagat to host Google+ Hangouts with the chefs on the days their Google Offer launches. To join Tyson's Hangout, visit Zagat’s Google+ page and comment on this post to let them know you’d like an invite to the Hangout and return back on May 30th to try to grab one of the open spots. Even if you don't get to participate, you can sit back and watch the Hangout to indulge your inner chef.

To subscribe to Google Offers in Austin, Dallas and other locations across the U.S., please visit: www.google.com/offers. And follow our Google+ Page for updates from the Google Offers team.

Posted by Gary Heitz, Program Manager, Google Offers

Discover Google Offers near you in Google Maps for Android

Whether you’re navigating the streets of your hometown or exploring a new city, getting from “point A” to “point B” is a breeze with Google Maps for mobile. With today’s release of Google Maps 6.7 for Android in the U.S., you can see all the Google Offers near you in list or map form, making it easy to get great deals from local businesses on the go.