Microsoft Advertising Pilots New E-commerce Features on Bing
Microsoft Advertising is testing a two-tier sponsored-product carousel on Bing that pairs a large double-row sponsored carousel with organic listings, while also implementing stricter domain ownership verification for store URLs.
Key Points
- Testing two-tier sponsored-product carousel combining sponsored and organic listings
- Implementing stricter domain ownership verification for store URLs
- Product URLs must match new domain after approval
- Appears to be part of broader effort to compete with Google in e-commerce
Full Details
Microsoft Advertising is making a significant push into e-commerce with new features on Bing. The company is piloting a two-tier sponsored-product carousel format that combines a large, double-row sponsored carousel with organic product cards from individual websites listed beneath it. This format could increase the number of products added to shopping queries. Additionally, Microsoft is tightening domain ownership verification requirements for store URLs—advertisers changing their store domain must verify domain ownership before ads can go live, and product URLs must match the new domain after approval. The company has also tested Bing lite sponsored tags with transparent, low-contrast 'Sponsored' labels on search advertisements. These changes appear designed to expand Microsoft's e-commerce footprint and better compete with Google in the shopping search space.
Why It Matters
This represents Microsoft's intensified competition with Google for e-commerce advertising dollars, potentially reshaping how consumers discover products through search engines.
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