Google continues with its decision to roll out Play Store “Offers” tab for daily deals and discounts

I’ve made it clear how I feel about Google Offers – no, not that Google Offers that was launched in 2011 and subsequently shut down in 2014 that allowed you to get coupons and deals for local merchants in the same vein as Groupon.

This Google Offers is being baked directly into the Google Play Store’s bottom navigation. Back in November, we had no clue what exactly would be on “offer” via the new menu item, but I speculated it would aggregate all of the in app purchase deals and discounts on apps, games, movies and TV shows, books, and more into one location.

Currerntly, these sorts of special discounts are sprinkled throughout the Play Store and appear on Event tabs at the top of each navigation section, but there’s been no real home for them. It turns out that there’s either enough demand for such a thing or Google is just really loving the idea of raking in the cash, because according to a new Keyword blog post, it’s going ahead with its efforts to roll out the Offers tab in the Play Store this year.

This time, however, it’s detailed exactly what will be included. As you can see in the list below, there will be more than what I predicted. Yes, there will be games that are on sale and even in-game items for those games like I thought, but there will also be bundle deals for delivery apps like Grubhub, Shipt, and more showing when they will offer you free delivery. There will also be free ride rewards and more from apps like Uber, which I guess is kind of neat.

Additionally, I noticed that on the list, apps that give free trials will be included. This is something I can certainly get on board with, so despite my initial frustrations with Google adding a “money grab tab”, I am beginning to see the benefit for users, even if it is still meant to build the company’s pile of cash outside of advertising.

• Sales on games and in-game items: find limited-time deals on magic orbs, tokens, and more.
• Rewards and bundled offers: see what apps are offering you free delivery, free rides, and other rewards.
• Discounts on movies and books: find the latest sales on movies and books to rent or buy.
• Try something new: browse apps that are offering 30 days free, and other extended trials at no cost.

Interestingly, Google has partnered with developers of some of the top apps and games on the store to add “new, fresh deals every day.” One complaint I’ve had about the Play Store is that the selection of content doesn’t feel like it’s cycled out more than once or twice per month, but that’s just my observation.

“Offers is a win-win. We get an additional touchpoint with people to share information about a valuable promotion or update, and people can easily redeem the offer by opening the Strava app from the Offers tab.”

Allison Boyd, Strava

I know this still won’t go down well with everyone, and I still have my own reservations, specifically surrounding how the Offers tab will sit alongside everything that’s already occupying the bottom navigation when someone is subscribed to Google Play Pass, which takes a slot too.

Honestly, this may make things feel too crowded, but if Offers replaces Play Pass to keep the navigation clean and limited to five items, that may be a loss for those who subscribe to Google’s gaming model. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, so be sure to get the conversation going below!