How Does Google Pay Make Money? | Google Pay Business Model

Google Pay is a digital wallet platform and online payment system developed by Google to power in-app and tap-to-pay purchases on mobile devices. Google Pay enables its users to make payments with their Android devices phones, tablets, watches, etc.

In addition, the service also supports passes such as coupons, boarding passes student ID cards, event tickets, movie tickets, public transportation tickets, store cards, and loyalty cards.

It can be used for online payments, in-app purchases, contactless in-store payments, and even for sending peer-to-peer money. So whether someone is browsing for a new pair of sneakers online or buying your morning coffee, Google Pay can do all the heavy lifting for them.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at the Google Pay business model, how it makes money and how it has become one of the most successful digital payment solutions in the world.

Google Pay Key Features
Google Pay Business Model
How Does Google Pay Make Money?
Sources Through Which GPay Makes Money
Google Pay Net Worth
Growth of Google Pay in India
Funding Received by Google Pay

Google Pay Key Features

• Easy and Convenient Payments: Google Pay makes it easy and convenient to make payments using your mobile device. You can make payments using your phone, tablet, or smartwatch, without the need for cash or physical credit cards.
• Integration with Google Services: Google Pay is integrated with various Google services, such as Google Chrome, Google Assistant, and Google Maps, which makes it easier to make payments while using these services.
• Secure Transactions: Google Pay uses multiple layers of security to protect your payment information, including encryption, tokenization, and biometric authentication (such as fingerprint or facial recognition).
• Multiple Payment Options: Google Pay supports multiple payment options, including credit cards, debit cards, and bank accounts. You can also add loyalty cards and gift cards to your account for easy access.
• Rewards and Cashbacks: Google Pay often offers various rewards and cashback programs for using the service, such as earning rewards for making purchases or referring friends.
• Bill Payments: Google Pay allows you to pay various bills, including utility bills, credit card bills, and more, all within the app.

Google Pay Success Story | Promoting Cashless Transactions

Google Pay is a digital payments platform started by Sujith Narayanan and Sumit Gwalani. Read on to know more about Google Pay’s backstory, founders, business model, and revenue model.

StartupTalkyPurbalee Dutta

Google Pay Business Model

Google Pay has been consistently rising in India, The Alphabet and Google CEO- Sundar Pichai said that the company has taken cues from the successful experience in the country and would soon put out a revamped digital payments product globally.

Compared to the other mobile wallets Google Pay is successful in India because of its business model which includes the following factors:

• Partnership-Focused Innovation
• Localization for Success
• Ecosystem Integration
• Small Business Support
• Job Seeker Support
• Digital Payment Awareness
• Rural Outreach
• Entity-Based UX
• In-App Engagement
• Cashback Offers

Google Pay focuses on partnerships, localization, and ecosystem approach as it forged deep partnerships with the central bank and government to innovate and build collectively and make products interactive and open to working jointly within the ecosystem.

The company deepened its support for small businesses through a new app called Google Pay for Business which was a free and easy way for small merchants and storefronts to enable digital payments without the hassle of a time-consuming verification process.

Google Pay also supports job seekers by introducing a spot on Google Pay to help people find entry-level positions that aren’t always easily discoverable online.

It collaborated with the Government to come up with Digital Payment Abhiyan to increase awareness about cashless payment and online financial security in the country.

The company also launched the Vodafone Idea Phone Line to help people in rural areas where the internet connection is weak to get information about everything.

Its entity-based UX users search for who they paid earlier rather than the transaction date and time. Under the entity-based model, users see individual chat leads of every individual or merchant, they transact with, whenever they have to check a payment record.

Google Pay introduced the spot platform in India which is a way for the business to create an experience and engage their customers within the Google Pay app. Popular services like UrbanClap (now Urban Company), Goibibo, MakeMyTrip, RedBus, Eat.Fit, and Oven Story were the first to board in its early access program.

Scratch cards are another attraction as Google Pay provides lucrative cashback and offers on varying transactions. These cashbacks are directly credited to a linked bank account. The app also provides multiple payment options so users can transact through their mobile numbers and Virtual Payment addresses.

How Does Google Pay Make Money?

Google Pay has several global revenue-making opportunities. The revenue might be both from transaction fees from banks or merchants which is $4.1 billion and also from ads and product offers within Google Pay which is $0.4 billion.

Google Payment India Private Limited reported its revenues for the financial year 2020-21 as ₹14.8 crore. The company further reported a net profit of ₹1.4 crore during the same fiscal.

Google Pay was first launched in August 2017. Google first named this app "Tej" and later changed the name to "Google Pay".

Google Pay does not charge its users for accessing Google Wallet. Receiving and sending money on Google Pay is free. Previously, the company had an agenda of adding a 2.9% fee to funds via debit card. However, now the plan is dropped and it's all free as mentioned above.

The app has over 67 million monthly active users and enabled more than 2.5 billion transactions and now has an annual run rate of over US$110 billion in transaction value. This app user can now pay at more than 200,000 stores in more than 3,500 cities and towns, and more than 2,700 online merchants.

Sources Through Which GPay Makes Money

Google Pay earns money through the following sources:

• Mobile Recharges: The basic revenue model of Google Pay is mobile recharges. Whenever a user recharges on any SIM operators from this app, then they get a commission from that operator on every recharge.
• Bill Payments: Google Pay allows you to pay for any kind of bill from this app such as electricity, DTH recharge, water, insurance, loan repayment, postpaid bills, and so on. Whenever you pay any company bill, it takes a commission from that company.
• UPI Transaction: So this app does not earn from UPI transactions, it just analyzes your transaction data, which it uses to make its new product. The main reason most people use Google Pay is for UPI payments. The app also provides more services such as mobile recharge, and bill payment. So when people have to use either or both of these services, they use this app and this app earns from both the services.

Google Pay Net Worth

The company's net worth stood at ₹12 crore for FY21 compared to ₹10 crore at the same time the previous year.

Growth of Google Pay in India

Google mobile payment system Google Pay has emerged as the king of UPI payments in India, with an annualized transaction value worth $110 billion. Google Pay has 150 million users worldwide, with 67 million users in India. Millennials are 30% of active users of Google Pay.

According to a report by GlobalData, the value of mobile wallet payments in India experienced a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 72.1% from 2019 to 2023, reaching INR 202.8 trillion ($2.5 trillion) in 2023.

In India, Google Pay holds a 35% market share in UPI payments. The app resembles a chat app that is easy to use and is available in local languages.

The platform is used by customers to buy train tickets, pay bills, and even purchase lunchtime meals from street vendors. In India, local stores have begun to accept Google Pay payments via a phone application. Meanwhile, the Google Pay platform’s update includes features like tokenized cards for more secure payments, food security, Google Pay for business, e-KYC, and simpler onboarding and donations.

In India, Google Pay is facing stiff competition from other fintech startups including wallets such as Paytm, PhonePe, Amazon Pay, Airtel Payments Bank, etc. The upcoming contender in the race is the Whatsapp Pay service by Facebook.

Funding Received by Google Pay

Founders of Google Pay in India raised $13.2 million in January 2020 in a Seed funding round for its neobank, Fi led by Sequoia India and Ribbit Capital. Also participating in the funding rounds were David Velez, Kunal Shah, and VC fund Hillhouse Capital.

In October 2020 the investment app, ETMONEY, had partnered with Google to offer Google Pay users a route to invest in mutual fund schemes and the National Pension System (NPS).

This collaboration will allow Google Pay users to identify the right mutual fund schemes and invest in them within minutes using their Google account and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ID.

Google Pay users will not have to create a user ID to access this facility. It will be the same if one wants to invest in NPS as well. Sujith Narayanan and Sumit Gwalani, both co-founders of Google Pay India formerly called Google Tez said that the seed funding brings the Neobank startup Fi to a valuation of roughly $50 million.

FAQs

What is GPay?

Google Pay is a fast and simple way to pay using credit or debit cards saved to your Google account. It works for online purchases, in-app transactions, and in-store payments with your Android device.

What is the revenue of Google Pay in India?

Google Pay revenue in India was INR 1467 crore in 2021.

How many people use Google Pay worldwide?

Google Pay has 150 million users worldwide.

How does Google Pay make money?

Google Pay makes money through commissions it gets for transactions from companies or operators. For every transaction that you make using Google Pay, it gets a commission from the company.

Who are the competitors of Google Pay in India?

The top competitors of Google Pay in India are:

• PhonePe
• Paytm
• PayPal
• Amazon Pay
• Whatsapp Pay