Amazon Extends In-App Purchasing to Web, Mac, PC
Amazon today announced plans to extend its in-app purchasing service to cover Mac, PC, and Web-based gaming platforms.
By Stephanie Mlot
https://www.pcmag.com/news/amazon-extends-in-app-purchasing-to-web-mac-pc
Amazon today announced plans to extend its in-app purchasing service — already available for the Kindle Fire and other Android devices — to cover Mac, PC, and Web-based gaming platforms.
The upgrade will allow consumers to use a credit card, gift certificate, or promotional credit stored on their Amazon account to buy individual items within an app.
"We're passionate about making game developers successful, and we'll continue to build services that make monetization easier and remove undifferentiated heavy lifting from developers," Amazon Games director Mike Frazzini said in a statement.
Amazon tested in-app purchases for the Kindle Fire last spring, racing to catch up to Google and Apple, both of which already provide in-app purchasing.
With the expansion to other platforms, the company is looking to attract more developers to the Amazon Appstore.
"For years, Amazon has focused on making the online shopping experience as frictionless as possible, and we are excited to share this expertise and technology so that game developers can offer customers this same great experience," Frazzini said.
The Amazon Digital Game store currently boasts more than 3,000 games, from free-to-play to massively multiplayer online games.
Additionally, the online retail giant is dangling another carrot in front of developers, promising that in-app items will automatically be available on Amazon.com, and purchases can show up on best seller lists, recommendations, and merchandising campaigns.
According to November data from ABI Research, global revenues for mobile apps were forecast to surpass $30 billion by the end of 2012 — almost double the amount reached the year earlier. That figure includes money made from paid downloads, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and in-app advertisements.
For a look at the company's in-app purchasing API, check out Amazon's video below. The service is available for developers starting today.
For more from Stephanie, follow her on Twitter @smlotPCMag.
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About Stephanie Mlot
Stephanie joined PCMag in May 2012, moving to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She has also written about technology, science, culture, and Doctor Who for PCMag sister site Geek.com. She is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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