Why You Should Be Utilizing Bing Shopping

Whenever Google rolls out a new feature to the search space, Bing is not far behind with almost identical functionality. This case is true with Bing Shopping Ads. When you’re seeing great results from your Shopping Ads in Google, why test out Bing and look to “fix something that isn’t broken?” In this article, we offer an answer and explore the main benefits of utilizing Bing Shopping.

We’re all familiar with the pros and cons of Bing Search that make opting in an easy choice. A couple of the most notable perks are lower CPCs and more affluent and typically higher education users, while some aspects that could be viewed as negative include an older demographic and only about 30% reach in the search space. Bing Shopping features all the same pros of PPC advertising, however, some of the Bing attributes seen as potential cons could actually be considered benefits. Let’s dive in to why.

Demographic Skews

One aspect that typically concerns those using Bing Ads is the user demographic skews older. Bing users have proven to be in an older demographic likely due to the default Bing settings on Microsoft devices. It is assumed that older users are unable to change the default web browser setting from Microsoft to Chrome as an example, or simply do not care which search browser they use, so long as the information is valid.

So how can an older demographic be considered a pro? Due to the simplicity of shopping ads showing actual product images, versus text descriptions, the decision to convert is easier, which is why shopping ads have proven to yield higher click-through rates and conversion rates than text ads. Skipping out on Bing Shopping ads because of the age demographic can be a costly mistake when considering the performance benefit of an older user base.

30% of the Search Market

A common reason to pass on Bing for both traditional paid search and shopping is that Bing only accounts for roughly 30% of the search market. This percentage may seem insignificant in comparison to Google, but since the competition is much lower in Bing compared to Google, the average cost per click is also much lower. If budget is limited, Bing is a low-risk option for many advertisers. Lower reach is often a big disadvantage for brands and can be hard to sell as a positive, especially for those with a niche offering. It can be argued that even though the traffic is lower with Bing, it is still worth testing out because in most cases the overall spend is less on Bing. A huge selling point for Bing shopping is the lower cost per click, with on average, better conversions. Lower levels of competition will also allow you to stay online longer throughout the day. Higher impression share, or share of voice as it is called on Bing, is also something to consider as a benefit of Bing Shopping.   

Referring back to demographics, another positive characteristic of the audience base in Bing is that the users are higher educated and more affluent than with Google. One new feature for dynamic search ads, text ads, and shopping ads through Bing is LinkedIn Profile Targeting. Utilizing LinkedIn Profile Targeting will give you higher control over your audience as you’re able to filter by company, job title, and job function. This feature builds upon the higher educated demographic. The tradeoff with Bing versus Google is that Bing has less traffic, but the traffic is of higher quality - given the more affluent audience, higher dollar conversions are typical of Bing, and yield a higher return on investment. If you are looking for quality over quantity, Bing is your best bet.

A New Name and New Products

Bing Ads is now Microsoft Advertising. More than just a new name, Microsoft Advertising also comes with new advertising products and features as well! One new product worth mentioning is the Microsoft Audience Network, which uses AI and machine learning to better match customer intent and target a more relevant audience to improve performance. Microsoft also rolled out Sponsored Products to help advertisers boost traffic to their top products in shopping campaigns. Sponsored Products include new consumer experiences that help shoppers filter, suggest, and visually search and find relevant products, giving you more control over your bids and campaign structure.

With all of Bing’s new features and products, deciding to work with Bing Shopping has become a strategic necessity rather than an afterthought. Utilizing Bing Shopping is easier than ever, especially since Google shopping campaigns can be imported directly into Bing. With Basis, strategies and reporting across the two publishers sit directly in one single source of truth, allowing for a more holistic overview of performance.

~

If you’d like to learn more about how we can improve your performance on Bing and indeed drive better outcomes across your entire digital media program, get in touch with us today.