Looks like Bing is trying again with an aggregation service for “deals”, or in this case, “offers”. A post on the Bing Search blog today announced the beta launch of Bing Offers, available in the US, which:
aggregates deals from a broad set of partners, including many of the leading local deal providers. If you are looking for tasty treats, fun activities or a relaxing spa, need to fix your home or automobile or just want some retail therapy, Bing Offers provides simple ways to discover the best deals closest to you.
Bing has what is says is one of the largest collections of local deals on the web, and Bing Offers promises to bring those offers together all in one place, across any device, and then make it easy to search across them, or filter results to find just what you’re looking for.
Bing Offers has taken a page from other Bing apps in providing a beautiful and functional design – it’s modern without being too boxy, and Metro without looking like an ad for Windows 8:
However, if this all sounds vaguely familiar, well it should be. In September of 2011, we reported on a very similar “offering”: Bing Deals, which promised “to help you cut through the clutter and find the best deals in one central location”. Apparently Bing Deals no longer exists, as the url www.bing.com/deals now resolves to the Bing home page (you’d think they would at least point it at bing.com/offers!). Here’s a quick comparison of what is, and was, offered:
Bing.com/offers:
- All your favorite deals in one place: You no longer need to browse through different websites, manage multiple sign-ups or sift-through your inbox. Bing Offers aggregates popular deals across the US to help you discover great deals at the right time and place.
- Quickly find the deals you are looking for:Search for your favorite deals by using any business name, category or keyword. Not looking for a specific deal? Then filter out irrelevant offers by location or category including: food, activities, health & fitness, beauty, travel, retail & services.
- Available on any device: The Bing Offers experience works seamlessly across tablets, mobile devices, and PCs, so you can use access great deals regardless of where you are.
Bing.com/deals (from a September 2011 Search blog post)
- One-Stop Shop: The new Bing Deals experience aggregates more than 200,000 deals across the US, including local deals, helping you easily match multiple deals to ensure you’re getting the best one. There is no need to browse hundreds of websites or sign-up for multiple emails. You can find the best deals on the web at Bing.com/deals.
- Browse for the Best Deals: Bing Deals cuts through the clutter by cleansing and organizing deals, so irrelevant deals are filtered out of your experience. You can browse by retailer, location, keywords or by category such as restaurants, spa services, arts & entertainment, and even nightlife to find exactly what you want quickly. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, simply browse the top deals of the day to see if something sparks your interest!
- Visual Search Results: Because shopping is a visual experience and so is searching on Bing, your deal search results are visually organized on the screen to help you easily sort through your options and find the best deal based on what you’re looking for.
- Daily Deals: With one click, you’ll see the top daily deals featuring the very best offers in your metro area, with savings generally from 30%-50% off.
- More Deals on the Go. If you’ve been enjoying Bing Mobile Deals at m.bing.com, you’ll benefit from the same deals available on the PC
Why this is a new beta and not just a rebrand (or why it’s a rebrand at all, and not just a refresh of the site, for that matter) is beyond us, but there it is. Still, the service sounds like a good one if you’re looking for good deals, and who isn’t?
(Oh and by the way, almost forgot – there was still another Bing deals service, that one called “Bing Daily Deals”, but it was rebranded as MSN Offers back in 2011.)