March 1, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — According to reports released this week, search giant Google (google.com) is adding some e-commerce capabilities to its Google Base service, creating a means to support credit card transactions.
Postings on Google developer blogs say the service is in an early testing phase, and only a small number of sellers are involved, but Google plans to extend the service to more users in the coming months.
The Google Base, which began public beta testing in November, is designed as a repository of content that might not normally be accessible to Google’s spiders. Users can submit information directly to Google Base’s index.
Because some of the items listed in Google Base are for sale, the company is experimenting with enabling people to buy items through Google Base using their Google accounts.
The shopping function seems to suggest a development in the company’s originally stated plan for Google base, which was not to attract search users, but people that wanted to submit content to Google’s Index. Material in Google base would ultimately surface through its other search properties.
