Software giant Microsoft has entered the group buying space, teaming up with existing site DealMap to launch a new aggregator that pulls together hundreds of deals from different sites and Groupon clones.
The Bing Deals site highlights not only the growth of the group buying space but also the increasing popularity of deals aggregators. Users are finding it too difficult to locate individual deals on the exploding number of sites, so developers and entrepreneurs are doing it for them.
Bing Mobile director of product management Andy Chu wrote in a blog post overnight that rather than developing its own platform, Bing will be using DealMap to source bargains for customers.
“Bing’s mission is to help you cut through the clutter of the web to make decisions more quickly – whether that’s through our own innovations or by teaming up with industry experts,” Chu said in a blog post.
“The DealMap is a leading source for people to find and share the best local deals, so naturally it made sense for us to team up with them to bring you the best experience.”
While the company hasn’t said how many sites it will be using to source discounts, it claims that Bing Deals will be “giving you access to more than 200,000 unique offers in over 14,000 cities and towns across the US.”
Visitors wanting to use the service will need to visit m.bing.com – a new “deals” tab will show up that will point users to the nearest discount.
Once a user finds the deal they’re looking for, they can save it, share it through email or simply go to the deal’s provider to claim it.
Deals will also be displayed on search results made through the normal desktop version of Bing, with companies offering discounts to be highlighted with a green “Deals” icon.
DealMap is owned by search engine Center’d, founded in 2006 by a former Yahoo vice president.
TechCrunch reported last year the company has gained about $US8.9 million in funding, but the new Bing deal is almost sure to deliver it more revenue.
The new partnership with Microsoft highlights how popular aggregators are becoming – several have popped up in Australia. One aggregator, Buyii, was even targeted by Cudo which sent it a cease and desist letter, ordering it to stop using the Cudo logo and its deals.
Some group buying sites believe these aggregators aren’t offering anything new to customers and should be stopped, fearing they will ultimately be used more than their own dedicated websites.
Dean McEvoy, chief executive of group buying site Spreets, says there is a place for aggregator sites but at the moment he’s not concerned about their growth.
“We have an internal debate about this. The reality is that in the early days, you help them by giving relative content, and maybe down the line they’ll help you out as well. It’s an interesting problem and it’s something we’re definitely looking at.”
“But in terms of these aggregator sites, we’re not hugely worried about them and if anything they’ll drive traffic back to us. They can deliver the most amount of deals, yes, but that’s not necessarily what people want.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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