Google’s SoundPod is Finally Coming to Merchants in India: Check Pricing

Google is rolling out the SoundPod — the corporate’s wi-fi speaker that may confirm funds obtained over the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on the spot cost system — to small retailers in India, the corporate introduced on Thursday. The firm began testing the gadget as a part of a restricted trial final yr and has revealed that the rollout will happen later this yr. Google Pay rivals PhonePe and Paytm — the latter faces RBI strictures over non-compliance with a number of guidelines — already supply comparable merchandise for retailers in the nation.

In a weblog submit on Thursday, Google VP of Products for Google Pay Ambarish Kenghe introduced that the corporate’s SoundPod could be rolled out to small retailers in the nation “over the coming months”. During Google’s year-long trial of the SoundPod in India, the agency obtained optimistic suggestions from retailers who participated in the trial, together with sooner checkouts, Kenghe mentioned.

The SoundPod is geared up with an LCD display and a single speaker. It helps 4G connectivity, in accordance to Google. It has three LED indicators to present battery, charging, and connectivity standing of the gadget, and options menu, quantity, and energy buttons.

The SoundPod has an LCD show and speaker that face the service provider
Photo Credit: Google

Paytm’s ‘Soundbox’ audio system supply between 4 to 12 days of battery life and have 2G or 4G connectivity — two fashions are geared up with LCD screens, whereas one other helps music playback over a Bluetooth connection. On the opposite hand, PhonePe’s SmartSpeaker presents up to 4 days of battery like on a single cost and helps a number of languages.

While the corporate hasn’t supplied a concrete timeline for the arrival of the SoundPod in India, rivals like Paytm and PhonePe supply comparable audio units which are already in use by retailers throughout the nation. Merchants additionally pay a month-to-month subscription — between Rs. 50 to Rs. 125 — to entry these audio-based announcement service.

Google says that retailers will likely be in a position to select between two subscriptions for the SoundPod — a Rs. 499 one-time price adopted by a Rs. 125 month-to-month subscription plan, or an annual subscription priced at Rs. 1,499. Merchants will not have to pay the one-time price when selecting the annual plan. Customers who obtain 400 funds in a month by way of QR codes will get a assured Rs. 125 cashback, in accordance to the corporate.