Beyond Google: The Microsoft Opportunity

Search has always existed beyond the Google ecosystem, with Bing and Microsoft being major sources of high intent traffic. But how is search evolving in Microsoft ecosystems and how vital is Bing becoming for ecommerce retailers?

Join us as we recap our most recent webinar and share  share how Productcaster and Microsoft can help you expand visibility beyond Google.

How Is Microsoft Search Changing?

Microsoft search functionality has undergone huge changes as we shift into the age of AI and agentic search. From the traditional search engine results page of Bing to transactional conversations within Copilot, we now find ourselves in a search landscape which combines both.

Through Bing and Copilot, Microsoft is helping advertisers by letting AI do the heavy lifting. This includes:

• AI-powered recommendations
• Personalised product feeds
• In conversation commerce and Copilot Checkout
• Deployment of brand agents
• AI product comparison
• Agentic support

Many of these features work to move customers through the funnel faster, bringing awareness, consideration and conversion under one roof for 33% shorter customer journeys.

Keeping Shopping Personal in the AI Age

Shopping is an inherently human activity – allowing us to express ourselves and forge a personal connection with those around us. Through shopping in Copilot, shoppers are presented with a more personalised experience which drives higher engagement than other AI functionalities. Purchase behaviours have also increased after a Copilot interaction compared to those who don’t interact with the platform at all.

Getting Universal Commerce Protocol Ready with Microsoft

While the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) has been introduced by Google to enable AI agents to seamlessly discover and interact with products on a site, it’s also an important part of agentic shopping journeys on Microsoft.

By enabling UCP-ready feeds in Microsoft Merchant Centre, your products will be able to show up in Copilot with richer product information.

Brand Agents

To participate in AI conversations with shoppers, brands need a trusted voice which speaks their language. Microsoft Brand Agents are able to engage in natural conversations and assist with checkouts to improve conversion, as well as incorporating upsells and cross-sells in a way that suits your brand. Brand Agent sessions have almost twice the conversion rate of unassisted sessions.

What’s Next? Ads in Copilot

Paid advertisements are now starting to appear in Copilot searches, not only giving advertisers new opportunities to reach their audience but also to provide brands with more tailored options from trusted retailers.

The Way We Look for Growth Opportunities Is Changing

Agentic search is changing the way we search, with 72% of shoppers now expecting agentic shopping experiences from retailers over the next 12 months. As AI-driven traffic surged 800% over peak shopping moments like Black Friday, it’s essential that retailers know how to optimise for agentic search.

How to Optimise for Agentic Search

To succeed in the world of agentic search, agents need to be able to understand user needs and buying intent. Working with a feed management tool such as FeedManager ensures that your data is structured and trusted.

Fundamentals for Winning with Microsoft AI

As the landscape shifts towards AI and agentic search, it’s important to understand the essentials of Microsoft AI.

AI Max for Search: A unified campaign type that uses personalised ad delivery across Bing and Copilot through predictive query matching.

Offer Highlights: Conversational ad formats that surface key selling points within AI responses.

Copilot Checkout: Allows high-intent users to purchase inside the AI chat, reducing friction in the sales funnel.

How Does Microsoft Advertising Differ from Google?

While you may be used to optimising your campaigns for Google, there are other factors which you need to consider when advertising on Microsoft.

Time is of the essence, and volume platforms such as Google take the majority of available time for advertisers.​ 

Microsoft often sees lower competition, lower CPCs and higher ROAS rates.​ 

Get Your Feeds Agentic-Ready with Productcaster

Whether you’re optimising your campaigns across Google, Microsoft or other advertising platforms, having structured product data and automated, up-to-date product feeds is vital for staying visible across an evolving search landscape.

This is why we’ve partnered with Diginius to grow our offerings, giving you increased visibility beyond Google at no extra cost. This expansion of the Productcaster package provides even more support to our customers, joining the current offering of Productcaster CSS, FeedManager, ProductMaximiser and ProductTester.  

Ready to find out more? Get in touch with the Productcaster team and book a 30-minute demo to find out more about how we can help you get agentic search ready and grow your business today. 

Watch the replay here