Google Play Gift Cards going head to head with iTunes vouchers in Woolworths and Big W

The introduction of Google Play Gift Cards into Australia has been fairly quiet so far, but a memo that was photographed and sent to Ausdroid by Alexei shows that Woolworths definitely sees massive potential in the sale of Google Play gift cards in Australia.

The memo, which sees Woolworths acknowledge that Android devices currently hold the largest market share of phones in Australia at 60% of the market, shows that Google Play Gift Cards have the potential to drive more sales than iTunes cards, most likely one of the driving reasons for them capturing an exclusivity arrangement that will last until the end of 2013.

The potential importance of Google Play Gift Cards is also highlighted by the positioning of the Google Play Gift Cards in direct competition with iTunes vouchers, with Google Play Gift Cards being positioned on hangsell stands on the left hand side of the Coke Fridges at Point of Sale(POS) while iTunes cards will be positioned on the right.

While there’s no discounts in-store for customers, Woolworths stores have been offered incentives by Google Play to push the cards. Google Play are apparently offering one store in each state the opportunity to win prizes based on the highest amount of sell through. Prizes on offer are :

• 1st Prize – 1x 32GB Wi-Fi Nexus 7 and $100 worth of Google Play Gift Cards.
• 2nd Prize – $250 worth of Google Play Gift Cards.
• 3rd Prize – $100 worth of Google Play Gift Cards.

It is interesting to note that the 32GB Wi-Fi Nexus 7 appears to be a 2012 model rather than a current gen 2013 model – way to clean out the inventory stockpile Google Play. But still, a Nexus 7 is a Nexus 7.

Catalogues for both Big W and Woolworths which are being delivered to homes across Australia right now, have no incentives for purchase, merely introducing the Gift Cards to their customers, something that is extremely important to Google and partners with the intention to expand awareness of Google Play as an online market place as well as attract customers over to Android as a platform.

Some interesting things to note from both these advertisements :
Firstly, both the advertisements have advised there are only 675,000(Big W) and 750,000(Woolworths) Apps available in Google Play – there are actually over 1 Million now.

Secondly, and most importantly, the Big W catalogue advises that TV Shows are available for download through Google Play…an honest mistake by an over-zealous marketing team not checking properly or a sign of an imminent launch of TV Shows in Australia? The Google Play digital International availability of digital content page, still lists the UK and USA as the only two countries with access to TV Shows, with the UK receiving access to Google Play TV Shows only at the beginning of last month.

We’ve approached Google for clarification on the sale of TV Shows for Australia through Google Play and we hope for good news, we’ll certainly let you know what happens.