Microsoft stops paying us to use Bing

In the age of massive storage, search is the killer app. Surprising that Microsoft - cancelling Bing's cashback feature - can't pay users to use Bing. What's going on?

The Bing-a-lings say they are coming back with a better program, but how could they say they'd be back with a worse one? And who knows, maybe it will be. Better, that is.

The program Bing has gotten some good reviews and I occasionally use it. The cashback feature attracted me because I like nice stuff and hate paying retail.

Depending on the product and the vendor, cashback ranged from 2% - 15%. The Bing results put lowest after-cashback prices first, so you didn't need to apply the percentages to figure it out. But it didn't include shipping costs, so you had to work hard to figure out final cost. Especially with sites that like to keep shipping charges a nasty surprise.

You had to apply for an account, which took more time than I thought it should. And the cashback money wouldn't arrive for something like 90 days - long enough to ensure that you didn't get the money and then return the product.

Some people reported problems - surprise! - getting their cashback. Disappointing. Some have gotten $100s back and are happy. Just not enough of 'em.

The Storage Bits take Cashback was flawed in ways that aren't obvious to software engineers:

• Clumsy sign up. Yes, worry about fraud. But make sign up as simple and fast.
• Pathetic percents. 2% savings aren't worth it. 5% is the minimum if you are asking customers to work.
• Shipping charges. Some companies make money off shipping, so to understand the deal you had to wade through most of the purchase process. Time sink.
• Limited vendor choice. Including many I'd never heard of.
• Delayed gratification. It's a rebate, which means waiting for months to get the joy. In America we like our gratification like our food: fast.
• Bing shopping not as good as Google. That's the bottom line. Cashback got me to try Bing - and I never even got any cashback - but after trying it I liked Google's results better - not that I'm wild about theirs either.

Here's what a successful Bing program will include:

• Better results. Make it easy to comparison shop, including tax and shipping. Ultimately being better than Google is key. Hire some Amazon folks to help!
• Instant money. Google did that when they were peddling something. Gmail? Shopping cart? Whatever. It worked better than cashback and it got rid of percents.
• Vendor agnostic. Make it easy for vendors to sign up and process. Get massive participation.
• Easy sign up. I signed up once for cashback. Don't make me do it again.

One more Critical Success Factor: fire Ballmer. Really. You're the world's most profitable corporation with incredible engineering talent, a massive channel, a global brand and a putz for a CEO.

You want to put the hurt on Google? It's gonna cost you, big time. But you can afford a major offensive for 18 months better than they can.

What you can't afford is to tinker for the next 3 years with half-fast, kinda-sorta better programs and strategies like cashback. Which is all Mr. "iPhones will never sell" is going to let you have.

Microsoft can beat Google at shopping search. But you need a coherent strategy that includes a superior user experience - and not one designed in focus groups. It won't be easy.

But that will make victory all the sweeter.

Comments welcome, of course. On a related note, the deficit hawks are succeeding in their plan to kill the recovery and send us into a Japanese-style "lost decade." Comparison shopping will become America's most popular computer game.