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Google Is Setting Up A Gmail Bill Payment System

March 24, 2015 By Dean Frazier Leave a Comment

According to some reports, Google is setting up a new Gmail tool that would allow account holders to pay their bills from directly within the famous e-mail service.

A a document published by Recode website, the new service will be called dubbed Pony Express. Ti would enable Gmail users to pay service providers and other bills without ever leaving the inbox page of the Google web-mail service.

The initiative would require Gmail users to sign up using their real name, social security number, phone number and payment information. Google would use a third-party financial company to ease payment on behalf of the service provider and after that to make the transaction with your money.
After providing the credentials, the user would have the option to connect the bank account to Pony Express. Currently, this can’t be done with Google Wallet, so it’s possible that Google will broaden the Wallet service to encricle linking of bank accounts.

Pony Express would save users the trouble of logging into their respective accounts each time they wish to pay a bill. All the bills would also be sent to a special folder within the Gmail account, which will greatly help users to keep record of payments that are due.

The report states the service will also give users the option to split bills with other Gmail users, a neat feature that would be very helpful for members who live in the same space and all use a particular service.

According to the document, Google is planning a late-2015 launch for the service, which would stretch Gmail’s reach further. The company is already consolidating Gmail information, such as appointments and travel schedules into Google Searches. Also, the new Gmail Inbox app is showing prevalent information such as incoming shipments.

It’s also possible the IT giant could use this scheme as part of its plans to further expand the Google Wallet mobile payments platform. It’s not yet known if this will be a paid feature, but Google would try to monetize it at some point. The new Google service will require a few days to make sure payments arrive on time, and offers an will offer a accelerated delivery for the bill payments.

According to other reports Google is also developing a service which would allow users to authenticate mobile payments nu simply typing their initials.

Image Source: Mashable

US Teenagers Can Buy E-cigarettes Online, Study Warns

March 4, 2015 By Bonnie Gleason 1 Comment

E-cigarettes are banned for people under the age of 18 in 41 states, but a new study found out that the smoking devices can easily be bought online by minors.

Sales of e-cigarettes are on the rise in recent years in the US, after first being available in the country in 2007. A new study shows that only five out of 98 online websites that sell e-cigarettes require the buyer to prove his age.

The online shops usually asks the client to click a box or to enter a birth date in order to show he or she is not a minor.

According to the paper published in JAMA Pediatrics, most vendors lack a proper age verification software. The problem is, the e-cigarettes online stores are not required to use them as there are no federal regulations for the sales of this product.

The researchers supervised teens aged between 14 and 17 as they attempted to make e-cigarettes purchases online. They succeeded 75 times out of 98 tries. In 18 cases the failure was caused by payment processing or website failures.

Use of e-cigarettes has doubled among teenagers from 2011 to 2012, who find them more appealing than traditional cigarettes. The authors of the study blame the regulatory vacuum in this field and the vendors lack of effort in preventing sales to minors.

Harold Farber, a pediatric pulmonologist from the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, blames the current situation on e-cigarettes marketing that targets teens, by creating flavors like cotton candy, grape or bubble gum.

He also warns that e-cigarettes can easily lead to young people addiction to nicotine, and could lead to the use of regular tobacco products.

Dr. Rebbeca S. Williams, the main author of the study, says that online e-cigarette vendors don’t want to decrease their profits by spending money to verify underage buyers.

Electronic cigarettes sales are on the rise in the United States, becoming a $1 billion market in 2013.

The e-cigarettes bought online are delivered by various postal services, like DHL Worldwide Express, FedEx Corp or U.S. Postal Services, who do not ship regular cigarettes. None of those companies attempted to check the age of the buyer and just left the package at the front door.

Photo source: Piercepioneer

Target Offers Free Shipping for Holiday 2014

October 23, 2014 By Jac Hardy Leave a Comment

In the wake of a major debit and credit card breach, Brian Cornell, new Target CEO is trying to rebuild consumer confidence by offering free shipping on all orders through December 20, 2014.

In a press release, Cornell stated that Target will provide free standard ground shipping on all orders placed through target.com through December 20, with no minimum purchase amount required. With sales through digital channels being up 40% this year, this move should help customers regain confidence in the giant retailer but also boost the company’s financial reports.

However, according to a new report in the Wall Street journal, approximately 66% of orders through target.com ship free because items are purchased using the company’s REDcard or they meet the usual $50 minimum.

Amy Koo, analyst with Kantar Retail, told reporters that Target will actually spend a significant amount of money this year on shipping and on a smaller scale, its advertising. She added that Target is making an effort to reach out and get on an even playing field with its competitor Amazon for the 2014 holiday season, especially while trying to regain occasional and less affluent shoppers following the breach.

In a recent study, experts determined that more than 50% of American consumers will make at least one online purchase for the upcoming holidays. The study, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics for shop.org also stated that on average, online shoppers will spend 16% more this holiday season compared to all other shoppers.

Cornell points out that free holiday season shopping is one aspect of Target’s plan to differentiate itself now but also for the future. The company has been building capabilities that put Target in a strong starting position, which includes a wide range of on-trend and unique merchandise, as well as the right digital tools.

He believes Target’s value proposition cannot be challenged, thanks to incredible in-store and online shopping experiences, as well as alluring promotions. Target’s promise to customers is to “Expect More and Pay Less”, something that Cornell plans to deliver.

Amazon Confirms Online Fresh Grocery Delivery Service

October 18, 2014 By William Bland Leave a Comment

In a released statement from Amazon, the company launched its online same-day grocery delivery service called “Amazon Fresh” yesterday. For now, the service will be available only to customers in the Brooklyn New York neighborhood of Park Slope but there are plans to expand the service within the near future.

Amazon’s goal is to provide customers what they want while aggressively pursuing its cut of the $600 billion grocery industry. The area of Park Slope was selected because of its demographic, which consists of young professional families who have busy schedules and typically seek a healthier lifestyle.

As outlined, customers who place grocery orders prior to 10:00 am will have the selected food items delivered the next day although an early morning delivery option is available for orders placed before 10:00 pm the previous night. While the main focus is food, customers can order other items as well to include toys and electronics, all with the same-day delivery guarantee.

To enjoy the Amazon Fresh program, customers must be members of the company’s Prime Program, which comes at membership fee of $99 a year. This service also includes free two-day delivery on a wide range of other Amazon products and provides a broad spectrum of movies and streaming television shows.

Through the end of 2014, customers of Amazon Fresh will not pay any additional fees for delivery but after January 1, they will be required to upgrade to the membership program Prime Fresh for $299.

Prior to yesterday’s launch, Amazon Fresh was only available in Seattle, Washington as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. However, by launching the program in New York, it is a clear indicator that the company is taking its role in the grocery industry extremely serious, especially since this is an entirely new endeavor.

Amazon knows the program will face stiff competition in New York against other online local grocers to include Fresh Direct, which reportedly generates up to $500 a year in sales, as well as Instacart, a highly funded startup that recently completed a partnership with Whole Foods. Google’s same-day delivery business also operates in New York City although perishables such as meats, fish, dairy, and produce are excluded, unlike Amazon Fresh.

Same-day delivery services first became popular 15 years ago, offered by companies like Webvan and Kozmo but during the dot-com bust, this type of service faded out. However, with new technology and a slew of new mobile devices and applications, interest of and demand for same-day delivery services has been reignited.

Amazon’s approach is somewhat unique from its competition in that it purchases grocery items in bulk and then stores them throughout the country in warehouses. The company has also created partnerships with a number of local food vendors and restaurants, making it possible for customers to buy regional specialties if desired. Just recently, Amazon turned to the US Postal Service for help with grocery delivery.

Overall, the grocery business operates with low profit margins but according to Amazon, their same-day service will boost the frequency of purchases and therefore, pave the way for same-day delivery of higher-margin goods and better profit margins.

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