14 DAY TRIAL // The latest update to Bing is focused on enabling customers that shop online to spend less time searching and combing through the overload of results and more time well, actually shopping.
Users of Bing Shopping will notice right away that the homepage has been overhauled, but the upgrade to this specific vertical of the search / decision engine runs deeper than just the obvious facelift.
The redesign brought with it a revamping of the content on the Bing Shopping home page, with Microsoft opting to highlight a collection of items based on their trending and popularity.
“Popular articles and categories are arranged next to top searches, popular products, and leading brands so you can research and browse items before making a decision,” explained Larry Colagiovanni. Sr. Program Manager, Bing Shopping.
Of course, as is the case with other aspects of Bing, the software giant is integrating social networking into the shopping vertical.
“We also added the ability to connect your Facebook account to Bing shopping, so you can be instantly reminded of upcoming birthdays while you shop,” Colagiovanni added.
Under-the-hood changes to Bing Shopping are reverberating to the results page. Users will be able to enjoy better previews of the products they want to purchase through the inclusion of larger images, but also take advantage of new price match options, and even see similar searches from other users.
One great addition to Bing Shopping is related to articles designed to help users understand trends, get suggestions, and stay up to date with relevant consumer information.
“So you can quickly find out information about a product, we have added the ability to hover over an item to see more about it, including average reviews and its top attributes,” added Sonam Saxena Sr. Product Manager, Bing Shopping.
“While you are shopping, we made it easy to add a product to your shopping list. You can share your shopping list on Facebook to get feedback from your friends or compare with other products on your “wish” list.
“After you find the product you are looking for, you can view the merchants that sell the product, specifications, and customer reviews. We also added a filmstrip on the page with the original search results, so you can scan and compare products.”