Google Offers Now Live in Columbus, OH

If you live in the Columbus, OH area and are looking for something fun to do with the family this holiday season, then today’s inaugural Google Offer is for you: $5 for one admission to the Wildlights holiday light display (up to $14 value) at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

For the past 24 years, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has been spreading holiday cheer with its annual Wildlights holiday light display and festival. From the millions of holiday LED lights, to the Magical Tabernacle Forest Chorus, the Wildlights event is a holiday tradition for locals. This year’s festival features live music and a new attraction called ‘Global Celebrations’, which is a newly designed eight-minute music and light show on Conservation Lake. Today’s Google Offer for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also includes general admission to see the zoo’s 700+ wildlife species and exhibits.

To subscribe to Google Offers in these cities and other locations across the U.S., please visit: www.google.com/offers. You can also find and buy great deals with the free Google Offers app for Android.

Posted by Eric Rosenblum, Director of Product Management, Google Offers

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Five tips for stress-free holiday shopping

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

Today, on Cyber Monday—the biggest online shopping day of the year—digi-savvy shoppers will take to the web to get ahead on their holiday shopping. You’ve managed to avoid the Black Friday crowds, but are your online shopping skills up to snuff? Just in the nick of time, here are five tips on how to use Google tools to save time and money this holiday shopping season.

Tip #1. Avoid the lines and parking nightmares—shop from your couch with Google Catalogs
Today we’re announcing a version of Google Catalogs for Android tablets, available for free in Android Market. Now shoppers can browse Google Catalogs on both iOS and Android tablets. With over 125 of your favorite brands and 400 issues across a myriad of categories, Google Catalogs puts all your favorite print catalogs right at your fingertips. You’ll find pages of gift and decorating ideas and get a head start on your holiday shopping list.

Browse Pottery Barn’s Christmas 2011 catalog on Google Catalogs - now available for Android tablets.

Tip #2. Let Google Product Search do your research for you
With so many brands, models and features to choose from, sometimes finding the perfect gift—especially when it comes to electronics and gadgets—can be overwhelming. Google Product Search gives you detailed product information, reviews and price comparisons for all the gifts on your list.

We recently launched a new comparison feature for electronics that lets you quickly see how a particular product stacks up against other similar models and brands. For example, on the Nikon D3100 product page, you can now see—at a glance—feature comparisons between the D3100 and other Nikon models as well as cameras from other brands. Read more about other recent Product Search updates on the Google Commerce blog.

A quick comparison shows the differences in resolution and other camera features.

Tip #3. Bring Google Shopper along as your mobile shopping assistant
Have you ever found yourself standing in a store, trying to decide between, say, two blenders, and wishing you could consult an expert? Google Shopper can help. Wherever you are, this free mobile app for Android and iPhone lets you scan a barcode or search by voice or text to get detailed product information, read reviews and compare prices online and at local stores. You can also use Google Shopper to see if a product is in stock nearby.

Research, share and find products near you with Google Shopper.

Tip #4. Take advantage of holiday savings with Google Offers
Before you hit main street for a shopping extravaganza, check out Google Offers for great deals and save 50% or more on local places to eat, shop and play. Google Offers has teamed up with a number of great retailers this holiday season, making it easy to save while you shop. You can also find and buy great deals from Google Offers with the free Android app.

Tip #5. Simplify your online and offline shopping experience with Google Wallet
Save time and money by shopping with Google Wallet — a smart, virtual wallet that stores your payment cards, offers and more on your phone and online. When you shop with merchants that accept Google Wallet online just use your Google Wallet username and password to complete your purchase—there’s no need to pull out your credit card or enter your shipping address with every transaction. If you’re at the register at stores like American Eagle, Macy’s, Gap, Inc or any of our other merchant partners, take a minute to try the Google Wallet app, available on Nexus S 4G for Sprint, to tap, pay and save.

I hope these tips and Google tools help to make your shopping experience a little easier (and fun!) this Cyber Monday, and throughout the holiday season.

Posted by Stephanie Tilenius, Vice President of Commerce

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Make smart holiday shopping decisions with Google Product Search

Just in time for the holidays, we’ve made a number of improvements to Google Product Search that make it easier for you to find the products you want and feel confident in your purchases.

‘Best match’ for specific products

Sometimes you may visit Google Product Search with a specific product in mind. With our new ‘Best match” feature, we highlight the product we think you’re looking for even faster. When you search PowerShot SD1400, for example, you’ll see a ‘Best match’ product at the top of the page.

‘Popular products’ appearing for more searches

Let’s say you’re in the market for a netbook this year, but you’re just starting your research. When you search for a general term like ‘netbook,’ you’ll see a list of products ranked in order of popularity, which can help you quickly focus your search on a few models. We’ll also give suggestions on how you can refine your search, in this case by brand and operating system. Over the past few months, we’ve added popularity ranking to more search results pages, like wireless routers, heart rate monitors, vacuum cleaners, toddler car seats, and many more.

More rich information to help you with your research

When you click on a product that catches your eye, you’ll be taken to a product page containing product spec, reviews, prices, and local availability. We’ve updated the ‘Product Features’ section of the product page (ex: Samsung Chromebook) to help you interpret detailed product specs. You’ll also see a product info bar at the top of the page that contains basic information about the product you’re viewing and remains in place as you scroll down the page.

Additionally, the product page now also displays the date that the product first appeared on Google Product Search, so it’s easy to tell if you’re viewing a newer or older product model. Of course, our pages still let you read reviews, compare prices, and find items in stock nearby.

Improving the apparel shopping experience

Back in September, we introduced the first of our efforts to improve the apparel shopping experience on Google Product Search, incorporating the most popular features from Boutiques.com. We’ve now expanded this experience to include shoes (ex: platform pumps), displaying larger product images and giving you more ways to refine your search by brand, color, style, and other criteria.

As with dresses, when you click on a particular shoe, the product page displays visually similar styles giving you more products to browse and consider as you shop.

Browse for gift ideas on the new curated Mobile Product Search homepage

This holiday season, many of us will be using our smartphones to research products when we’re out and about. With the mobile version of Google Product Search, you can get instant access to detailed product information, reviews, and prices wherever you are.

If you find yourself with some extra time on your hands in line at the mall or simply need more gift ideas, get inspired by browsing the new curated homepage for Mobile Product Search. To access the page, open the Google Search app and select the ‘Shopping’ tab. We update this page regularly, so check back frequently for seasonal gift ideas, fashion trends, and more.

Posted by Andrew Poon, Senior Product Manager, Google Shopping team

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Google Offers Adds Six More U.S. Cities to its Rapidly Growing Roster

What do Detroit, Indianapolis, Ft. Worth, Long Beach, Sacramento and St. Louis have in common? You guessed it! As of today, they are the newest cities to provide awesome personalized deals to local city dwellers and visitors via Google Offers.

Now for the good stuff. Here are the details behind the first deals in our new cities:

Detroit: $6 for one ticket to North American International Auto Show (up to $12 value)
If you call your car your “baby” and love all things on four wheels, consider the third week in
January 2012 your new favorite holiday. Stay ahead of the road-riding curve and check out the
latest and greatest developments in automotive technology, design and engineering at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

Indianapolis: $4 for $9 of Cajun cuisine at Papa Roux
Serving up a delicious Cajun menu, Papa Roux is a local gem offering over 10 different varieties of po-boy (think pulled pork, grilled onion, roast chicken) served on fresh French bread delivered daily. Today’s Google Offer is good for both Papa Roux locations at Eastside and City Market, so you can get an authentic taste of Nola without leaving Indy.

Ft. Worth: $5 for one adult ticket to ‘Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome’ at the Kimbell Art Museum ($14 value)
We may not remember a lot from 8th grade art class, but wherever paintings have bold contrasts of light and dark, Caravaggio’s dramatic “chiaroscuro” technique comes rushing to mind. See the major influence this great artist made on the 17th-century Roman art scene at the second largest North American display of the Italian artist’s work, Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome, which features more than 50 paintings and places the master’s influential works next to pieces by some of the artists he inspired.

Long Beach: $2 for $12 of comfort food & drinks at At Last Cafe
It’s easy to see why At Last Cafe is beloved by locals. This quaint neighborhood eatery elevates the art of homestyle cooking while keeping prices low. The renowned chef, John McLaughlin, brings a passion for comfort food infused with fresh, local ingredients to the kitchen. In fact, many dishes feature fruit from his very own backyard.

Sacramento: $5 for $15 of burgers, sandwiches, salads and more at Hamburger Patties
The days of ‘50s diners may be long gone, but you can still get a great burger, fries and shake in Sacramento at Hamburger Patties. With 18 different burger offerings, 16 sandwiches, weekend brunch, a separate menu for vegetarians and mighty meal choices for kids, Hamburger Patties is a go-to spot for River City residents.

St. Louis: $12 for $25 of Italian fare and drinks at Zia’s “On the Hill”
Founded by two brothers, this neighborhood favorite features homemade Italian fare, plus a long list of red, white and sparkling wines. Sample such delicious plates as the Portabella Asparagi—jumbo ravioli stuffed with Portobello mushrooms and dusted with fontinella cheese $11.50). No matter what dish you decide, rest assured you’re feasting on fare fit for any Italian zia.



To subscribe to Google Offers in these cities and other locations across the U.S., please visit: www.google.com/offers. You can also find and buy great deals with the free Google Offers app for Android.

Posted by Eric Rosenblum, Director of Product Management, Google Offers

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Google Offers brings more deals to the Big Apple

The world’s holiday shopping capital now has more holiday cheer.

Since we introduced a larger selection of personalized deals in San Francisco a few weeks ago, we’ve received great feedback from our merchant partners and also from our customers--who are enjoying access to our expanded collection of 30+ daily deals for foodies, adventure seekers, families and more. There’s no doubt that people love getting personalized offers and merchants benefit from connecting with the right customers.

That’s why we’re happy to announce that we’re expanding deals from our partners to Google Offers subscribers in New York City. Starting today, New Yorkers can also find a greater selection of offers and receive multiple deals that match their personal interests all in one place, and accessible through the web, in email, or on their mobile device.

Today we’re also expanding our roster of partners to include CityLikes, Dealster, Eversave, and Weforia. We’ve also enhanced the Google Offers site design to make our expanded inventory of offers more easily discoverable and personalized to subscribers interests.

With the new Google Offers site design, even more deals from our partners are visible on each page.

In the coming months, we’ll continue to roll out our growing inventory of deals to more markets where Google Offers is available.

You can subscribe to receive deals that match your interests and learn more about Google Offers at www.google.com/offers. Also, you can always find deals from Google Offers on the go with the Google Offers app on Android.

If you’re a deal provider and are interested in working with Google Offers, please contact us via this form.

Posted by Abhishek Rajgarhia, Software Engineer, Google Offers

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Simplifying payments on the mobile web with Google Wallet

Earlier today we announced that Google Checkout is transitioning to Google Wallet. And now, we’re expanding the Google Wallet online service with a new and easy integration option for merchants. This solution is first available and optimized for the mobile web, where shoppers often abandon their carts when faced with lengthy checkout forms. With this solution, online merchants can retain control over their payment processing and provide a more streamlined experience for shoppers, without additional fees.

Customers can pay using cards saved in their online Google Wallet on m.fandango.com

Starting today, we’re rolling out this new service on the mobile websites of Fandango and MovieTickets.com. When consumers visit these sites from an Android phone, BlackBerry or iPhone, they will have the option to make a purchase using Google Wallet, without the need to fill out multiple forms or leave the merchant’s site.

At this time, we’re offering this new service to select merchants in the U.S. If you’re a merchant and interested in learning more, please request contact from a Google representative here.

Posted by Divya Agarwalla, Product Manager, Google Wallet

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Building one wallet: Google Checkout is transitioning to Google Wallet

As you know, we’re big fans of keeping your shopping experience easy -- especially now that the holiday shopping season is here. Today, we’re starting to take all the great functionality and ease-of-use you’ve come to know with Google Checkout and merge it with Google Wallet to create a single wallet, whether you’re buying online or in-store. We’re also starting to integrate Google Wallet as the payment method on Android Market, YouTube, Google+ Games and many other Google sites.

For consumers: save time with Google Wallet online
For all you busy holiday shoppers, Google Wallet provides a simple and safe way to make online purchases. When you shop with merchants that accept Google Wallet or Google Checkout, just use your Google Wallet username and password to complete your purchase -- there’s no need to pull out your credit card or enter your shipping address with every transaction. Starting tomorrow, if you add a Citi MasterCard to the Google Wallet mobile app, it will also be available for use when you shop with Google Wallet online.

If you’re a current user of Google Checkout you can automatically transition your account to Google Wallet the next time you sign in or make a purchase online. All users can now access online purchase history and payment information at wallet.google.com/manage.

For merchants: no changes necessary
We're committed to upgrading our payment solutions for merchants while ensuring they’re able to process payments without interruption during the holidays -- so shoppers using Google Wallet will be able to make purchases seamlessly on merchant sites that accept Google Checkout. Early next year, we will work closely with our merchant partners to switch to the Google Wallet logo and share details on new and upcoming features.

If you have questions about this transition, please visit our Help Center to learn more. If you are looking for more information, you can visit google.com/wallet.

Posted by Ben Lee, Product Manager, Google Wallet

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