I've not gotten a whole lot of requests to integrate Google Checkout into CFWebstore, but I do get them once in awhile. Why do merchants want to use Google Checkout? A couple reasons. First, like PayPal, they don't have to pay for a real merchant account. Particularly for smaller merchants, a merchant account can be a considerable expense and also requires having a business checking account, most of which have a sizable minimum balance on them. Google also provides incentives for using their service, such as giving a certain amount of service free when you use Adwords. This can make it even more financially attractive to merchants who are looking to cut corners.

So why do I not include it? There are a couple reasons I generally steer people away from Google Checkout. First, the API is very difficult to work with. It is very complicated and does not work like normal payment gateways. Just take a look at what is needed if you have a fairly complicated tax scheme for your store. You really would have to custom write the Google code to support it. Unlike PayPal, Google does not give you the option to just send a total amount for the order, you have to provide all the detailed information on the order. This leads to problems if you want to use features in CFWebstore that Google simply does not support, like gift certificates or promotions. You would not be able to use any feature that the API is incapable of handling, which makes for a lot more difficulty as well in documenting the software as well as making it clear pre-sale about such restrictions.

One of the biggest issues I've seen though is many customer complaints about this service. Just do an internet search for "google checkout complaints" to find many of the issues and problems customer and merchants have had. It's hard for me to really want to put a lot of effort into supporting a service that is not serving their customers well. PayPal does not exactly have a stellar record in this area either, but they are a much more mature service that is practically ubiquitous on the web at this point. Still, I always strongly suggest anyone serious about doing internet sales consider getting a true internet gateway and merchant account such as through Authorize.Net or other gateways supported by the software, particularly for the stronger controls you have over fraudulent transactions and direct interaction with the customer.

If you're an ecommerce professional (or just do sites once in awhile) it's not a bad idea to keep an eye on sites that have good ecommerce articles and/or blogs. One that I like to check regularly is GetElastic.com. They have a lot of really great articles and news about what's going on in ecommerce and how to maximize your sales. I often find great ideas here for features I can add to CFWebstore in the future, and which are most important for sales conversions, etc. A recent blog entry talks about how even the top online retailers could do much to improve their customer's experience (an average score of 43 out of 100 on 69 different usability factors). Do you know any other really good ecommerce sites? Feel free to post a comment!

I previously posted a blog entry about the importance of using unique product descriptions. I ran across an interesting article earlier this week about how prevalent copyright infringement is and thought it might be worth sharing. The discussion indeed is a good indication of how poorly misunderstood the laws of copyright and fair use are. We all infringe on copyright throughout the day without even realizing it. With the internet and sites like YouTube not policing the content people post, copyright has become a sliding slope that many just conveniently ignore. It's always been something I've had to deal with and really learn the laws and best ways to protect against mis-use, as my software is easily copied and re-used without license.

So when creating your site, you may want to put some thought into whether the content on it is protected by copyright or not. You can't, for instance, take product images and descriptions from other websites without permission to use on your own site. We've already seen that unique content is a benefit in terms of search engine placement. Well, it may be important to protect yourself legally as well! Be sure if you get a design for your site that it's one that allows for commercial use. There are often sources of free site designs on the web, but they often require payment if used for commercial sites. It's always important to the reputation of your business to be sure you are following the rules others may have, just as you would want your own customers to pay for your products.

Just a little to think about.