Google Integrates Prepaid Plans Into Search Results

The case for and against it

Here’s What You Need to Know

Google has just rolled out the latest feature in their mobile search app. Logged in users can now find and compare prepaid mobile plans directly on the search results page. In order to make the recharge, it will direct you to checkout and make the final payment through services like Paytm, Mobikwik, and Freecharge.

The entire process is meant to be frictionless and help users easily find the plans of their choice without having to navigate through the user interface of these third-party apps till the final checkout. The company believes that this feature further aids their mission to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and actionable. Is this a sign that Google has more power than they should?

The Case Against Google Being Able to Add This Feature

With a share of about 91% of all smartphones sold in India, Android is by far the dominant mobile operating system in the country. As part of their licensing terms, phone manufacturers must include key Google apps such as Search as default apps on their devices. This dominance makes it difficult for any competitor to challenge Google in Search. Search accounts for the lion’s share of the company’s revenues. In fact, in their recently disclosed 2019 earnings, Search alone accounted for $98 billion worth of revenue, globally.

The biggest challenge to this dominance comes from users changing habits to start specific categories of search in different areas. So if you want to buy something, you don’t search on Google, but on Amazon. If you want to book a flight, you’d search on MakeMyTrip. And if you want to recharge your phone, your search will likely begin on Paytm. Google understands this better than anyone else and also understands the challenge this presents. By integrating these features directly into their search results, the company wants to cement its position as the gateway to anything and everything on the internet. A summary glance at the search result for prepaid mobile recharge shows that the results may be sponsored with Google getting compensated by the providers.

So here’s the big question. Why should Google make a cut of a sale that would otherwise have gone to your preferred mode of recharge? The wallets HAVE to advertise to maintain their position lest they lose the slot and a customer to a competitor. They simply cannot compete with a player with that much financial strength and such a dominant operating system and search platform.

Google has behaved in a similar manner with Flight and Hotel bookings in the past. As the company expands to yet another arena, trust that they will not be satisfied with this plunder until they have their fangs in every piece of every pie.

The Case for Google Adding This Feature

In a world that is riddled with scams, having Google verify the authenticity of mobile recharges will help prevent users from inadvertently making payments to the wrong entities. This, plus the added convenience of using one app to navigate our digital lives, is a value that can’t be quantified in monetary terms. In fact, Google Assistant can already read emails to help you keep your flight information handy at Airport security. It knows when and where you have your next appointments and reminds you when to leave so you are not late. It can showcase reminders to pay your credit card and electricity bills.

Google Search already brings great utility while making travel plans. When doing a flight search, it can recommend the best time to book, it can notify you when prices rise or fall, and it can suggest the best routes to take. All this means that you, the customer, don’t end up paying more than you need to, saving up your hard earned money. Imagine the convenience that this offering could give customers. It can notify you to recharge when your balance is running low or the plan is about to expire. In the future, it could connect the dots with other information Google has on you. For instance, it would be good to have it remind you to do an international data pack recharge when it knows that you are going to be going abroad. Or for it to recommend a higher-range data pack for more savings, when it identifies patterns of frequently buying top ups. Or it could suggest a higher data limit recharge plan just for the month in which the new season of your favourite show drops.

Letting Google roll out features like this is beneficial from a safety, convenience, and cost saving point of view.

What do you think?

Both sides of this argument are equally strong. Where do you land on this issue? Let us know in your replies below.