Microsoft announced today that it is launching deals for desktop and mobile searchers, and marketers may take this is as their cue to start offering local promotions to catch clicks from the growing number of Bing users.
Deals will provide searchers with more than 200,000 offers in 14,000 locations across the U.S. The feature aggregates deals from top companies, including LivingSocial and Groupon (which we bet makes Google cringe, as the search giant tried to buy the deal-finder earlier this year).
Desktop users search through Bing local, and results will be salted with information on deals offered by various businesses. For mobile users with access to HTML5 sites (i.e. iPhone and Android users), a new m.bring.com search tab, aptly called “Deals,” brings searchers to a special page where they can enter keywords related to the promotions they seek. Bing mobile can prioritize deals for businesses that are closest to on-the-go consumers.
Mobile users have the option to filter deal results according to what’s nearby, category or keyword, and more. The company is also making it easy for users to share deals, which marketers should take as a sign that well-targeted promotions can earn a lot of referrals.
This new search feature might give marketers more of an incentive to enter the local deal market. It may also help give Bing an edge on the search giant. However, brands will want to look out for similar offerings from Google.
In January, Brafton reported about a rumored Google Offers platform. An insider document explained, “Google Offers is a new product to help potential customers and clientele find great deals in their area through a daily email.” Though the feature is supposedly targeting Groupon, we might expect Google Offers to surface with a search component.
