There is a new space-race on the web. Many websites are trying to strike it rich by offering daily discounts. The key to offering daily deals is an obvious combination of localization and timing.
Bing is the latest to hit big on the deal train--following in the foot steps of Groupon and Living Social. Lately Bing announced a new tool called Bing Deals, which integrates discount information with Bing mobile and desktop sites from TheDealmap. TheDealMap aggregates web coupons and deals from Groupon, Living Social, Restaurant.com, and the partnership will provide Bing perhaps more than 200,000 offers for it's daily deal service. A new link will direct users on mobile Bing to the deals area which will spotlight coupons in metro areas, with the capability of diving deeper into specific neighborhoods. The tool will also have the capability to searching through categories and by keyword.
Search and deals/coupons for mobile devices seem to be a winning combination--and represents a technology gold rush for major players seeking new and heightened levels of engagement for local area search.