Google Forms, was originally launched as a Google Sheets feature back in 2008. Since that day it has grown in popularity with new features being added weekly by Google to satisfy the demand of their ever growing 4.3 billion users worldwide.
How do people use Google Forms?
If you have never used this free online form building tool, it is definitely worth checking out. Anyone with a Google Account can simply go to https://forms.google.com and start building a form. People use Google forms to collect information in an organized way from others.
Traditionally Google Forms are used for things like:
- Surveys
- Quizzes
- Event registrations
- Feedback Forms
- Order Forms
- T-shirt Signups
However, due to its customizable nature, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can create and use Google Forms.
Google Forms Advanced Features
After you have added all the questions you need answered by your users, Google Forms will allow you to upload your logo, customize the colors, to match your brand.
Google allows you to implement “response validation” which can force users to answer questions in a specific format. They allow you to break long forms with lots of questions down into “sections” and create logic with the “Go to section based on answer” feature.
You can then share the form easily by email or with the Share Link that can be used to link from your website or social media profile. No domain name or hosting plan needed.
When users submit a Google Form data can sync automatically to a Google Sheet. This makes it super easy to track what each responder chooses while filing out your form.
With all these amazing features it’s no wonder Google Forms has become so popular.
Use a Google Form to Collect Payment
In many situations when people are collecting information in their Google Form, they may also want to collect payment or money from the person submitting the form. This would be perfect in use-cases for event registrations, order forms, donation forms, summer camps, pizza days, and the list goes on.
Until very recently this would have been impossible. However thanks to the new Payable Forms Add-On, there is now a seamless and secure solution to accomplish exactly what people were looking for. Setup is easy and only takes 4 steps and about 5 minutes.
Step 1 – Install the Payable Forms Add-On
Head over to the Google Workspace Marketplace and Install the Payable Forms Google Form Add-On which makes payment possible.
Step 2 – Add money amounts into your answers
All you have to do is create a multiple choice, check box, or short answer question that contains a money amount in the correct format.
Step 3 – Connect a Payment Provider
Payable Forms will allow you to connect a PayPal, Square, Stripe, Razorpay, or Rapyd account to facilitate the payment processing part behind the scenes. Each time you get paid in your form, money goes directly to this connected payment provider account.
Step 4 – Try it out in “Test Mode”
Click the “eyeball” icon to see what your form looks like to those that will submit it. Fill out your own form and ensure all the money amounts are added up correctly and show on your checkout page.
Advanced Google Form Payment Features
Payable Google Forms Add-On will also help you stay organized by syncing your payment data with your connected Google Sheet. This lets you stay organized and know who has paid you at a glance.
Toggle on “Payment Reminders” and it will automatically send a friendly email reminder to those that have not paid after 24 hours.
Want to accept subscriptions or installment payments? No problem, you can simply update your answers to include a recurring period like “$5 / Month” or “ $5 / Month X 5” and it takes care of everything else for you.
Our Conclusions
If you or your business is already a user of Google Workspace products like Forms, Sheets, Gmail, and Drive you will find setting up a Payable Google Form to be extremely straightforward and convenient.
This is not a replacement for large and complex online stores with 100s of products. However, this new payment capability in Google Forms is a game changer for people that want to set up simple payment flows, save time doing manual payment tracking, and delight their users with an easy registration and payment experience.