Google appears to have been working on a secret project called Google Here that would have added some new features to their Google Maps product, but Alphabet CEO Larry Page decided to kill it off. Google Here would have combined Google Maps with location detection triggered by wireless beacons installed by retailers to launch “app-less” apps on a user’s smartphone.
According to the information that has surfaced, Google Here was a fairly large project that spanned several departments and was led by Dan Cath and the Google Maps team. Sources familiar with the project say it was shut down amid concerns that it was too invasive and there was not enough information available indicating retailers would buy in to it. Some have noted Nokia’s Here mapping service may have created a small marketing glitch as well.
The idea behind Google Here is similar to what some apps have built-in – certain actions will be triggered when a smartphone is determined to be close to a given destination or location. For example, some to-do apps give user the ability to set a location like “grocery store” and when the user is close to that destination, a message will pop up to remind them of what is on their grocery list.
Using beacons installed in retail locations of participating merchants, a user’s phone would operate in a similar manner, albeit without any previous interaction by the user. For example, if a user had a Walgreen’s loyalty card and entered a Walgreen’s, Google Here would automatically bring up the loyalty card on the user’s screen.
However, even if a user had not previously interacted with a location, they may get a nudge from Google Here. For instance, if a user visited a Starbucks, they may receive a notification to install the Starbucks app for a discount.
This second example was one that Google and potential partners were especially interested in as it was a way to push offers to individuals who were not otherwise customers. Increasingly, especially for retailers, they are finding it difficult to get customers to install their specific apps and it was thought Google Here might provide a way around that.
Sources say one of the problems that became clear was that a successful user experience would require more than installation of a beacon. Retailers would have to invest in a development team to put together mobile advertising to take advantage of the platform. This cost could turn off a lot of retailers, especially smaller ones, from participation.
Google appears to have identified their own issue with making Google Maps into a push notification platform. They worried this would be received as invasive and annoy smartphone owners.
Although Google Here may have been killed off, sources think similar concepts are still in the works inside Google.
source: Fortune
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