Release Notes: Winter 2024

Welcome back to GoDaddy Release Notes, a blog that provides entrepreneurs and small business owners with the latest news, product updates and innovations. In Q1 2024, GoDaddy rolled out Google Pay integration to Pay Links, launched Tap to Pay on Android, introduced the Shopping Assistant Chatbot and more! Also, various GoDaddy product experts shared insights with the media. Read on to learn more:

• GoDaddy Conversations recently launched the Shopping Assistant Chatbot, a new AI-powered feature designed to answer customers messages in web chat
• • Small business owners can now address customer questions related to the products they have for sale in their online store automatically, which saves them time.
  • The Shopping Assistant Chatbot is accessible on the home screen of the chat widget making it easy for customers of the small business to simply type in a quick prompt to get help.
  • In addition to helping boost productivity for entrepreneurs, the Shopping Assistant Chatbot will help small businesses generate more sales.
  • The Shopping Assistant Chatbot is now available to GoDaddy customers with a Websites + Marketing commerce plan.

• Brand Safety Alliance Offers Brands Better Protection with GlobalBlock Launch
• • Brand Safety Alliance, a GoDaddy Registry initiative, is a new organization dedicated to developing innovative digital brand protection solutions and just launched its first product release, GlobalBlock. A revolutionary domain name blocking service, GlobalBlockprovides brands protection by preventing bad actors from purchasing available domain names that match their brand and imitating their brand online. GlobalBlock covers approximately 600 popular web extensions, and more will be added over time.

• GoDaddy Commerce Integrates Google Pay Across Pay Links
• • To enhance the checkout experience for small businesses and consumers, GoDaddy integrated Google Pay into its sharable Pay Links. Previously available for small businesses' online stores and GoDaddy Point-of-Sale devices in the U.S. and Canada, Google Pay is now extended to Pay Links and QR codes. This expansion caters to consumers' preference for convenience.
    
    Now, small businesses effortlessly accept Google Pay by sharing their Pay Link via social, text message, email or QR code. Integration is automatically enabled and requires no setup. Additionally, service-based businesses using Pay Links can also request tips from their customers during the checkout process. These tips can be easily tracked in their Transactions and Payout reports.

• GoDaddy Launches Tap to Pay on Android
• • GoDaddy launched Tap to Pay on Androidvia the free GoDaddy Mobile App, to help even the smallest businesses accept tap payments without having to spend a dime on dongles or card readers. This integration follows GoDaddy's launch of Tap to Pay on iPhonein Spring of 2023. Now, all GoDaddy customers can transform their smartphone into a point-of-sale device.

• GoDaddy Chats with Domain Investor Dennis Tinerino
• • James Iles, Senior Domain Investment Community Manager at GoDaddy, interviewed Dennis Tinerino, owner of Domain Smoke, a daily newsletter for buying expired domains, about all things domaining. As a long-time domain investor for over a decade, Tinerino discusses his journey in the domain investment space, including how he scaled his domain portfolio from a handful to over 12K.
    
    Read all about it in the GoDaddy Resources Blog.

• GoDaddy Product Experts in the News
• • Pranay Agrawal, director of commerce products at GoDaddy, spoke with Payment Expertabout the differences in how Gen Z and Millennials like to shop, recent GoDaddy launches like Tap-to-Pay on Android and how small businesses can lean on new technology to offer convenient, modern payment experiences for their customers.
  • Geoff Clawson, vice president of growth, U.S. Independents, at GoDaddy, sat down with Studio 10for a televised interview to discuss how GoDaddy Airo™ saves entrepreneurs time establishing their online presence and helps them win new customers.
  • Laka Sriram, vice president of product, U.S. independents at GoDaddy, told PYMNTS in an interviewabout the ways GoDaddy Airo™ simplifies online business setup for small businesses-including domain name suggestions and integrating AI tools for logo creation, website and email hosting, product descriptions, and social media management.
  • Laka Sriram also spoke with CIO Diveabout the findings from GoDaddy's Second Annual Survey of U.S. Small Business Owners on GenAI, specifically discussing how entrepreneurs are embracing GenAI and not concerned with the negative impacts of using the new tool.
  • Paul Nicks, President of Domains at GoDaddy and Kathy Nielsen, Director of Premium Domains at GoDaddy Registry, were both highlighted and interviewed for The State of the Industry 2024: 36 Experts Reflect on the Past Year and Predict What's Ahead For Us Nowwith DN Journal. Both shared their 2023 observations about the domain trends they witnessed, as well as provided their 2024 predictions.
  • James Iles, Senior Domain Investment Community Manager, delved into How Domain Brokers Act as Real Estate Agents for Your Brand Onlinewith Small Biz Technology. Iles shared his insights on why a domain broker could the key to acquiring the domain name of choice when starting a business.
  • Lu Wang, Senior Director of Product at GoDaddy, provides 6 tips to maximize e-commerce websites for small businesseswith TechRadar. Wang expands on tips that will help small business owners looking to maximize their online store and be better prepared for the chaos to stay competitive.

Check back soon for the newest updates on the tools and resources GoDaddy is designing and delivering to help small businesses thrive!