Bing Product Ads To Run In Closed Beta Through Holiday Season

Upon hearing the news that Adobe was releasing support for Bing Product Ads through its Media Optimzer platform, I asked Microsoft about the status of the product ads launch.

In a new statement to Search Engine Land, David Pann, GM, Microsoft Advertising Search Group, said:

“We are on track to release Product Ads in Q3 of this year. We have invited a targeted set of U.S. advertisers to participate in a ‘closed beta’ through the holiday season so that we allow time to ensure our primary goal of creating a great customer experience while also listening to/implementing any advertiser feedback. We will announce general availability timing in the coming months.”

In April, Microsoft announced that the merchant feed-driven product ads, which function and look much like Google Product Listing Ads, would be launching in the U.S. this summer.

Those retailers who had set expectations on Bing Product Ads being part of their 2013 holiday ad mix, should probably not count on it — unless they are part of the closed beta.

Considering Google’s wild success with Product Listing Ads, Microsoft likely has fairly high expectations for its own Products Ad launch and will want to get the execution right before the full roll-out.