After launching Google Pay two years ago and following its subsequent popularity in India, Google is introducing the Spot Platform powered by Google Pay. The Spot Platform is created keeping in mind the business world and how a business can grow beyond the boundaries of being a local phenomenon and presenting it to the national, if not global, stage. The Spot Platform will specifically strengthen the relationship between business owners and their customers by bridging the gap between the offline and online worlds.
Google Spot platform is a digital front for a business that is created, branded and hosted by them, and powered by Google Pay. Users can discover a Spot online or at a physical store and pay via the Google Pay app. The Spot may pop up on their home screen as and when they need it, predicting patterns and daily routines. ‘Spot Code’ can be placed at a specific location if business with a physical presence is done. Customers need to scan this code for them to go to the business’s Spot on Google Pay. Mobile websites or progressive web apps can easily be converted into a Spot by just adding a few lines of Javascript because the Spot is built using HTML and Javascript.
Spot’s Order API and the Messaging API create a conversational framework for the merchant and the buyers. The Messaging API can surface relevant messages post checkout to the user and the Order API provides real-time tracking for delivery orders. The APIs provide frictionless UX for things like signing in, payments and sharing.
As is the case with any payment service, Google’s main concern with Spot is again the privacy and security. The data provided by the user is not used elsewhere without the consent of the user at any time. The Spot has been rolled out to all Google Pay users.
