Bing Shopping
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Stable release | Final
/ August, 2017 |
| Type | Search engine |
| Website | http:// bing /shop |
Bing Shopping(formerlyMSN Shopping,Windows Live Shopping,Live Search ProductsandWindows Live Product Search) is a products search and discovery service that helps save time by bringing products from multiple sellers together on a single website. It uses Bing to show product results–including photos and product details. Products can be filtered and prices compared. Purchases are completed on the seller's website.
Discontinued around October 1, 2013,[1]it was relaunched in August 2017 using a paid model where merchants pay to list their products on the service using Bing Ads Product Ads.
History
[edit]
Windows Live Shopping was originally launched in Beta form as part of Microsoft'sWindows Livesuite. It was built entirely on AJAX technology and had many social and community features. In addition to a retail shopping website, it featured drag-and-drop items to a shopping list, share lists with other users, product and seller reviews, public shopping guides withWindows Live Shopping Guidesand an enhanced preview.
On February 20, 2007, Windows Live Shopping beta was rebranded as MSN Shopping. Part of the reason for this decision was to reduce the number of shopping services Microsoft offered, which includedMSN Shopping,Windows Live ExpoandLive Product Search.Microsoft's spokesperson stated that the beta testing was intended to obtain an insight into user behavior and the data would be incorporated into plans for future products. It was stated that user-created content from Windows Live Shopping beta (lists, guides, and reviews) would continue to be available on MSN Shopping.[1]Windows Live Shopping Guideswas discontinued as part of the rebranding.
As MSN Shopping, the service aggregated millions of product offers from thousands of retailers, allowing users to search or browse for products. Searches could be sorted by relevance, popularity or by price (either ascending or descending). Refinements were available to allow the user to narrow the results set.[2][3][4][5]
On August 23, 2013, Bing announced[6]that it would replace Bing Shopping with Product Search which integrates product results within Bing search results instead of linking to a separate webpage.
Cashback program
[edit]
Bing Cashbackwas aloyalty programwhich allowed users to search for products from multiple vendors and find their prices and offeringmoney back for purchasesmade through the site. It was originally started in June 2006 byJellyfish.[7]On October 2, 2007, Microsoft announced it was purchasing Jellyfish for an estimated price of $50 million,[8][9]with the intent of using the Jellyfish engine as part of their Live Search services in attempt to catch up toGooglein the search market.[10]
The cashback service was officially announced asLive Search Cashbackon May 22, 2008. From December 1, 2008, it began offering users to receive cashbacks instantly, instead of having to wait for 60 days. This feature only worked in conjunction witheBay.[11]
Microsoft officially merged Cashback with the rest of the Live Search products on April 14, 2009,[12]later renaming it to Bing Cashback on June 3, 2009, as part of its rebranding of Live Search to Bing. On June 4, 2010, Microsoft announced that Bing Cashback would be retired on July 30, 2010, due to lack of interest.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Windows Live Shopping no more - MSN Shopping to remain".LiveSide.February 19, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon February 22, 2007.
- ^Carr, Lisa (14 November 2005)."MSN Shopping Adds Comparison Shopping".Direct Marketing.Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2015.Retrieved29 December2015.
- ^Rothberg, Deborah (21 July 2005)."Testers Check Out MSN Shopping Portal Beta 2".PC Magazine.
- ^Gupta, Shankar (29 November 2006)."MSN Shopping Surges 21% Thanksgiving Weekend".Media Post.
- ^Kane, Michelle (13 June 2005)."PriceGrabber Announces Strategic Alliance with MSN; PriceGrabber's Alliance with MSN Provides Consumers Expanded Selection on MSN Shopping".Business Wire.
- ^"Find it Faster with Bing Product Search".Retrieved2017-11-29.
- ^Worthy, Buzz (July 1, 2007)."At This Auction Site, Prices (on Chickens, iPods, Etc.) Are Going, Going Down".Washington Post.RetrievedMarch 13,2008.
- ^"Microsoft acquires Jellyfish".Official blog of Live Search team.October 2, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon February 23, 2008.Retrieved13 March2008.
- ^"Microsoft buys Jellyfish comparison-shopping search engine".ZDNet.CBS Interactive.October 1, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon October 6, 2007.RetrievedMarch 18,2008.
- ^"Microsoft adds cashback search".BBC News Online.BBC.21 May 2008.Retrieved22 May2008.
- ^"You asked for it: instant cashback!".Live Search team blog.Microsoft.December 1, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 3, 2008.
- ^"Saving Money Just Got a Little Bit Easier".Bing Blog.Microsoft.April 15, 2009.
- ^"A Farewell to Bing cashback".Bing Blog.Microsoft.June 4, 2010.