Google Checkout announced a holiday promotion for shoppers. Through Tuesday, December 26, users will receive $10 off purchases of $30 or more, or $20 off purchases of $50 or more, depending on the merchant. The promotions are reusable and no special registration is necessary - users will automatically see the credits applied as they make their purchases. Among merchants offering Google Checkout on their sites are Buy.com, Starbucks Store, The Sports Authority, Ace Hardware and Timberland.

Google said its Checkout feature eliminates an average of 15 steps from the online checkout process, in many cases making checking out as simple as entering a single login. This can save time for online shoppers, who will visit an average of 5.5 websites for holiday gifts this season, according to a survey Google Checkout commissioned that was conducted by Harris Interactive.

The survey found that 40% of employed U.S. adults say they'll be doing at least some of their online holiday shopping from work this year, with 1 in 4 of those shoppers logging on to track down that perfect gift on Monday, November 27. (57% plan to shop during coffee and lunch breaks, while 34% will wait until the end of the workday.) Shoppers can find participating merchants and special promotions on a new Google Checkout holiday site (checkout.google.com/holiday) that will launch on Cyber Monday. The site will provide information on the promotion and offer gift ideas in the most sought-after categories this year ­ which, according to the survey, include clothing, gift certificates, toys, electronics, DVDs, and music.

http://checkout.google.com/holiday (beginning November 27, 2006).