Microsoft stops paying for using Bing

Two years ago, even before the release of Bing, Microsoft launched the Windows Live Cashback program (then Bing Cashback), which allowed saving money on purchases in the online store if the transition was made to it from a search engine. Over the course of two years, several thousand online stores have registered to participate in the program, all of which provided exclusive discounts to Bing users. Despite this, Microsoft decided to close the Bing Cashback program from August 1, 2010.

At first, marketers positively assessed Microsoft’s initiative as a literate way to “buy” users. It was assumed that with the help of material incentives, it would be possible to entice an audience to Bing. However, this did not happen: two years later, Google’s share remained at the level of 65%, and the ratio of search engines on the market for two years remained almost unchanged.