Microsoft wants you to use its search -- and it's willing to pay

[praka123]

To use the Live Search cashback service, users must register for an account and buy eligible products.

Microsoft wants you to use its search -- and it's willing to pay

Program returns part of shoppers' money

By TODD BISHOP
P-I REPORTER


Microsoft has tried almost everything to get more people to pick its search site over Google, without success. So maybe a little cash will do the trick.
That is the idea behind a new Microsoft program that will return money to online users who find and buy select products through its Live Search engine. It's an unusual move that illustrates the lengths to which the Redmond company is willing to go in its struggle to gain ground on the Internet search king.


Microsoft's "Live Search cashback" site, set to be unveiled Wednesday, promises to pay back a portion of the purchase price -- ranging from about 2 percent to more than 30 percent -- to people who use it to find designated products and buy them online from participating retailers.


The company has signed up a long list of merchants to participate in the program -- including the online sites of large retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Sears, Home Depot, J&R Electronics, Office Depot and others.
The company is expected to unveil the Live Search cashback program at a conference in Redmond at which Bill Gates will speak to online advertisers. Microsoft last weekend said there would be a major search announcement but declined to provide specifics. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment Tuesday evening.


However, the Seattle P-I discovered an informational portion of the Live Search cashback online site -- spelling out the new program in detail -- that was publicly accessible as of Tuesday.


One snippet on the site also makes reference to moving a user's "cashback and payment service from Jellyfish to Live Search." Microsoft acquired Jellyfish.com last year.


Microsoft has been making a series of acquisitions in an effort to bolster its online efforts.


A list of frequently asked questions on the Microsoft site includes one that many potential users will no doubt ask: "Why are you paying me cashback?"
Answer: "We want to earn your loyalty and reward it with cashback savings for your everyday online shopping. We are 'The Search That Pays You Back'!"
Cashback programs have been tried by smaller search engines, with mixed results. Because of Microsoft's big online presence, its new initiative could get lots of attention in the industry and among consumers.


"Assuming that the rebate amounts are enough to be appealing to people, which it sounds like they are, that definitely could attract a fair number of consumers," said industry analyst Van Baker, a Gartner Inc. research vice president, when the site was described to him.



"But what they may do is just go to that site when they're thinking about buying something, and use Google the rest of the time."


It's not clear how much money Microsoft has allocated to the cashback program, or how long it is scheduled to last.


According to the Microsoft site, people will need to sign up for Live Search cashback accounts to use the service. To search for eligible products, they will be able to enter a query directly on the Live Search Cashback site, or look for special icons next to search results in the standard Microsoft Live Search site.


After consumers click through to a merchant's site and buy an eligible product, the designated discount will be paid into an online account where the refunds will accumulate and be available via direct deposit to a bank or PayPal account, or by check.



The Microsoft site lists conditions for payout, including a $5 minimum balance. It also references a 60-day waiting period after purchase to account for the possibility of returns.


To get merchants to use the Live Search cashback service, Microsoft is using an alternative payment model called Cost Per Acquisition, in which the advertisers pay only when the ad results in a consumer purchase. Microsoft isn't the only company to try that, but it differs from the standard model, which is based on the number of clicks on an ad.


Microsoft is a distant third in the U.S. search market, behind Yahoo and Google.



The company's $44.6 billion bid to acquire Yahoo was designed in part to vault it into second place. That effort was thwarted, but Microsoft has since proposed an alternative deal with Yahoo, reportedly involving a combination of their search ad businesses.


Microsoft in 2007 temporarily lifted its search market share with a site called Live Search Club that incorporated search queries into online games, and rewarded players with prizes.


The cash-back program won't come as a complete surprise.
Gates hinted at the possibility in late 2005. The IDG News Service quoted the Microsoft chairman at the time pointing out how much money Google makes from search, and saying that Microsoft might reward its search users with free software, or cash.


A post at the time on the Mashable.comonline news site offered this reaction to Gates' statements: "Is this for real?"
HOW IT WORKS

Users who sign up for accounts will be able to search for eligible products on the Live Search cashback site, or look for special icons next to search results through the main Live Search engine.



When users click through to a merchant's site and buy eligible products, a designated percentage of the purchase price -- ranging from about 2 percent to more than 30 percent -- will be deposited into their Live Search cashback accounts.



Refunds will accumulate in the account and be available via direct deposit to a bank or PayPal account, or by check. The Microsoft site lists conditions for payout, including a $5 minimum balance. It also references a 60-day waiting period after purchase to account for the possibility of returns.



Microsoft will charge merchants for the Live Search cashback advertisements only when a user makes a purchase.



Source: Microsoft Live Search cashback Web site

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine...tsearch21.html

[Roadripper]

I am using mysearch funds and it pays for searchin thru tht....thanks for info... ll chk ou tht this ...

[iMav]

looks like some people will reamin some people, virgin came up with 10ps for incoming every1 went wow thats awesome, virgin u rock, this and tht, MS comes with something similar they go wtf! hypocrites.

[NucleusKore]

iMav.......Virgin is sharing part/whole of the interconnect charge they get for the incoming calls they route to you. Is Microsoft really doing the same thing here?

[praka123]

poor m$ they know their times are soon over!

[a_k_s_h_a_y]

i have used live search.
it returns terrible results... engineers at MS are only getting dumber...

[indiangirl007]

i like microsoft and hope they make good search engine and make a OS which uses less ram..

LOVE YA MICROSOFT.

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by a_k_s_h_a_y

i have used live search.
it returns terrible results... engineers at MS are only getting dumber...

+1
Live search and yahoo search are useless... pretty useless....

[din]

Wondering how many use live search actually. Using google always.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

+1
Live search and yahoo search are useless... pretty useless....

but a little known search, ask.com, is really really good.

[praka123]

^well,even I used to till sometimes back.I think it is called ask jeeves?

[talkingcomet]

well if they pay me 1$ for every search, i may use live search!!!
nothing less will do!!!

[iMav]

Originally Posted by indiangirl007

i like microsoft and hope they make good search engine and make a OS which uses less ram..

LOVE YA MICROSOFT.

Originally Posted by NucleusKore

iMav.......Virgin is sharing part/whole of the interconnect charge they get for the incoming calls they route to you. Is Microsoft really doing the same thing here?

yes, it is something similar, u use their services you are paid by them

Originally Posted by din

Wondering how many use live search actually. Using google always.

live search is still the default in IE you will be surprised at the number who use it

[shobankr]

I never use IE.. firefox rocks!!

[NucleusKore]

Originally Posted by iMav

yes, it is something similar, u use their services you are paid by them

Some analogy

[Faun]

yahoo search is good too (came to rescue in few cases)
though google is the first priority for me.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by praka123

^well,even I used to till sometimes back.I think it is called ask jeeves?

perhaps you used it loooong time back. Its name changed long ago. Now ask jeeves is just ask.com.

[nvidia]

If google never existed, then we might have liked Live search. Google is so good that nothing comes close to its searching potential. So what if you get paid? People will use Live to make money and Google to search what they want.

[praka123]

how about http://guruji.com ? Desi Search Engine

[CadCrazy]

Kahan kahan se site dhund ke le aate ho

[ax3]

nice way 2 divert ppl 2 use ur search engine ......