Why Use Bing Ads for E‑commerce: The Underrated PPC Channel

Bing Ads, now operating under the banner of Microsoft Advertising, powers paid search across the Bing, Yahoo, and MSN networks. Though it often falls in Google’s shadow, savvy marketers are recognizing Bing Ads as a powerful channel — thanks to its distinct audience, smarter CPCs, and unique placement advantages.

Why Bing Outshines Expectations

• Underrated Potential: Despite its smaller size, Bing consistently delivers high-value clicks at a fraction of Google’s cost.
• Unique Reach: Bing isn’t just Google with a different color — it taps into audiences less accessible through other platforms.
• Multi-platform placements: With ads spanning Bing.com, Yahoo, MSN, Edge, Outlook.com, Xbox, and partner sites, Microsoft Advertising offers a truly diverse distribution network.

What You’ll Learn

In this article, we’ll explore:

• Who’s using Bing — demographics, behaviors, and spending power.
• Why it’s a smart channel for e-commerce — CPC, conversion rates, competition.
• How to launch and optimize Bing campaigns with modern PPC techniques.
• How Koongo supercharges your Bing Ads strategy, from feed management to performance tracking.

By the end, you’ll understand why Bing Ads, paired with Koongo, offers a unique and smart path to sustainable e-commerce growth. Let’s dive in.

Who Uses Bing?

Despite Google’s towering market dominance, Bing continues to hold significant ground — especially on desktop and among high-value audiences.

Market Share Snapshot

• Global desktop share:
  • Bing commands 28.9% of the desktop search market as of March 2025.
  • Globally, it accounts for around 4.0% of all search engine usage.
• United States:
  • Holds 7.4–7.6% of total search share, double the global average.
  • Among desktop users, Bing reaches 17.7–20%, and together with Yahoo/AOL, accounts for ~20% of U.S. desktop queries.

These figures show Bing holds meaningful real estate—notably where desktop remains strong.

Audience Profile

Let’s unpack who’s actually using Bing:

1. Desktop-Centric Users
   • Only 28.9% of Bing traffic comes from mobile, meaning a staggering 71% is desktop-based.
   • This skews the user base toward work, home office, and habitual desktop users — often with higher attention to detail and purchase intent.
2. Affluent and Business Professionals
   • 48% of U.S. Bing users are in the top 25% of household income brackets.
   • 32% spend more online than the average Google searcher.
   • Business execs and B2B audiences appreciate Bing’s seamless tie-ins with LinkedIn targeting and Microsoft’s productivity ecosystem.
3. Age Skew: 25–45 (with older users still significant)
   • Users tend toward 25–45-year-olds, though older users may still rely on Bing as their default search tool via Windows or legacy habits.
4. Product Researchers
   • 54% of users engage in commercial searches — including product queries and reviews. This provides fertile ground for e-commerce targeting.

Why This Audience Matters for E-Commerce

• Higher purchasing power = higher average order values and better lifetime value.
• Desktop users convert well — they have more screen real estate, time, and intent.
• Business users and B2B niches benefit from Bing’s integration with LinkedIn and professional targeting.
• Product-intent queries — frequent shopping behavior is ideal for both search and Shopping Ads campaigns.

Setting Up Bing Shopping Campaigns

Bing Shopping Campaigns (also known as Product Ads) display your product’s image, title, price, store name, and promotional tags directly in search results—mirroring the Google Shopping experience but on the unique Microsoft Advertising network, which spans Bing, Yahoo, MSN, and more. This visual-first ad format grabs user attention and conveys essential product information at a glance, making it perfect for retailers looking to showcase their inventory to qualified buyers.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create a Microsoft Advertising Account
   Visit ads.microsoft.com, sign up (or sign in with your existing Microsoft account), and complete your business profile—ensuring your time zone, currency, and billing details are correct.
2. Set Up Merchant Center & Claim Your Website
   In the Microsoft Advertising dashboard, navigate to Tools → Merchant Center → Manage stores. Add your store details, claim your website (via meta tag or Universal Event Tracking tag), and verify ownership—typically within 48 hours.
3. Upload Your Product Feed
   Prepare a product catalog including titles, descriptions, images, prices, availability, and unique identifiers. Upload it to Merchant Center, then establish an automated schedule to keep it current. Feed validation may take up to three business days.
4. Create Your Shopping Campaign
   Return to the Campaigns tab and select “Sell products from your catalog.” Decide between Standard (manual) and Smart (automated) Shopping Campaign types. Set the campaign budget, target ROAS (if needed), and ad schedule.
5. Organize Product Groups & Set Bids
   Segment products by category or priorities and assign bids accordingly. Campaign prioritization (High/Medium/Low) determines which campaigns take precedence for overlapping products.
6. Enable Targeting & Extensions
   Focus on Bing, Yahoo, and Outlook search networks. Layer on demographic targeting (age, gender, income), allocate bid adjustments by device (desktop-heavy focus recommended), and apply ad extensions for richer listings.
7. Set Up Conversion Tracking
   Implement the Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag across your site. Enable tracking for add-to-cart, purchases, and other key actions to feed conversion data back to Microsoft Advertising.
8. Monitor & Refine
   Use the reporting dashboard to track metrics like clicks, CTR, CPC, conversion rate, and ROAS. Adjust bids, budgets, and targeting based on performance data.

Why Your Product Feed Matters

• Feed accuracy equals ad quality: Bing emphasizes up-to-date, error-free feeds. Product details—price, availability, promotions—must be consistent or risk disapproval.
• Optimized titles & descriptions directly impact ad performance. Richer feeds drive higher Quality Scores and better visibility.
• Automated updates ensure feeds are refreshed regularly—essential for dynamic pricing or flash promotions.

Koongo Tie-In

Here’s where Koongo shines:

• Automated feed generation: Koongo transforms your product catalog into Bing-ready formats, enriched with correctly mapped attributes.
• Scheduled updates: Ensure inventory, pricing, and promotional changes sync with Merchant Center automatically.
• Error checking: Detect missing fields, invalid attributes, or formatting issues before they trigger disapproval.
• Multi-channel adaptability: Use Koongo to build customized feed variants for Google, Bing, marketplaces, and social channels—all from one dashboard.

Result: faster setup, fewer errors, and healthier, higher-performing Bing Shopping campaigns.

Best Practices for Optimizing Bing Ads

Keyword Strategy & Match Types

• Broad match + negative keywords: In Bing’s less crowded ecosystem, broad match can uncover new relevant traffic while negatives prevent wasted spend.
• Exact & phrase matching for high-value terms: Ensure tight targeting for important product-category or brand keywords.
• Continuous keyword expansion: Regularly review search term reports to update your keyword and negative lists .

Demographic & Device Targeting

• Desktop emphasis: Since ~71% of Bing traffic originates from desktops, prioritize budget allocation here .
• Income & age targeting: Boost bids for 35+ age groups or high-income segments known to over-index on Bing.

Smart Bid Strategies

• Auto-bidding/eCPC first: Start with automated Maximize Clicks or Enhanced CPC to quickly gather conversion data.
• Refine with Target ROAS/CPA: Once sufficient data is collected (generally 15–30 conversions), switch to smarter strategies.
• Use bid adjustments: Modify bids for top-converting times, demographics, or devices using historical insights.

Ad Extensions for Visibility

• Sitelinks: Direct shoppers to specific categories or bestsellers.
• Callouts: Highlight USPs like “Free Shipping,” “Price Match.”
• Review extensions: Boost trust with star ratings or testimonials.

Quality Score Optimization

• Quality Score mirrors Google’s formula, focusing on keyword relevancy, ad copy, landing page experience, and expected CTR.
• Tips to raise your score:
  • Use exact keyword(s) in ad copy.
  • Deliver relevant, mobile-optimized landing pages.
  • Incorporate user-centric headlines and CTAs.
  • Improve loading speed and navigation .

A/B Testing & Experimentation

• Run parallel ad variations: Test headlines, descriptions, calls-to-action, and creative formats.
• Landing page testing: A different layout or CTA button can improve conversions significantly .
• Account for data volume: Aim for at least 50 conversions monthly per test to achieve statistical significance.
• Capitalize on lower CPCs: Bing’s affordable clicks make it ideal for cost-effective experimentation.

Boosting Bing Ads Performance with Koongo

Using Koongo to manage your Bing Ads product data gives you a serious competitive edge. From precise feed formatting to real-time updates and cross-channel consistency, Koongo simplifies complex workflows so you can focus on scaling results.

Product Feed Management

• Bing-ready formats: Koongo generates XML or CSV feeds that align with Bing Shopping’s requirements—covering key attributes like title, price, availability, image link, GTIN/MPN, and condition.
• Plug-and-play templates: No manual scripting or data reformatting needed. Koongo’s pre-built templates get your products listed faster and with fewer errors.

Real-Time Updates

• Automatic sync every 5–30 minutes: Keep your product listings fresh across Bing and other platforms.
• Prevent disapprovals: Eliminate mismatches between your website and Bing product listings—one of the most common causes of ad rejection.
• Inventory accuracy: Avoid wasting ad spend on out-of-stock products.

Multi-Channel Control

• Single dashboard: Manage Bing, Google Shopping, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Allegro, Zalando, and more in one place.
• Centralized inventory and order management: Koongo ensures that stock changes and incoming orders are synced across platforms, preventing overselling and delays.
• 500+ integration channels: Expand your reach effortlessly while maintaining control and consistency.

Custom Feed Creation

• Tailored data for Bing: Adjust product titles, categories, and promotional tags specifically for Bing’s requirements and audience behavior.
• Dynamic filters: Exclude low-margin or seasonal products, prioritize high-performing items, and create separate feeds for campaigns with different goals.

Performance Tracking

• Feed validation: Identify missing or invalid attributes before submission.
• Real-time error alerts: Quickly fix issues that could harm campaign performance.
• Data-driven optimization: Monitor CTR, impressions, and disapprovals to refine your feed structure and content.

Bing Ads is more than just a backup to Google Ads—it’s a smart, cost-efficient PPC channel with solid conversion potential. It reaches a valuable, often underserved audience of desktop users, professionals, and higher-income shoppers.

But like any feed-driven platform, success depends on accurate, optimized, and timely product data.

That’s where Koongo comes in: from feed creation to channel syncing and performance tracking, Koongo removes the manual burden and lets you scale smarter.

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