WebProNews

eBay's not likely to turn its back on PayPal; the auction company does, after all, own the payment business.  But that hasn't kept others corporations from exploring their options, and in the UK, Google Checkout has become more popular than PayPal.

The proof comes from Hitwise's Robin Goad, who puts Checkout's traffic ahead of PayPal's from roughly December 6th to the present.  For a long time prior to that, Google's offering had trailed by quite a bit.

It's not all good news for Checkout, though, as Goad goes on to indicate that the PayPal crowd might be more willing to make purchases.  "While I can't provide abandonment data, it is likely that people visiting another retail site after either Paypal or Google Checkout may have not completed their purchase," he writes.  Later, he continues, "[M]ore people currently visit another Shopping and Classifieds site after Google Checkout than after Paypal, and that the gap is widening."

Profitability is just as important (if not more so) as popularity, so this data may make some companies rethink their position.  Also, Google Checkout has been running heavy promotions in order to capitalize on the holiday shopping season, and as those dry up in the spring, there'll be even less reason for people to stay loyal.

One way or the other, the stats will be worth keeping an eye on.