Microsoft has been focusing a lot on shopping features with its Edge browser lately. It already offers features like built-in autofill coupons, price comparison, and price history. Now, with the holiday season approaching, the company is adding a few more features aimed at improving the online shopping experience on Edge as well as Bing.
Microsoft adds a price tracker to Edge
To start with, we have a new price tracker coming to Microsoft Edge soon. This feature will keep a tab on the items you have recently viewed and alert you of price changes. As the company notes, shopping for the holidays can be overwhelming. With simultaneous sales from a variety of retailers, it’s difficult to track who’s offering the best deal on a product. With Edge’s new feature, you can simply browse through all the items you’re looking to buy across various retailers. The browser will then automatically notify you when the price drops.
“This eliminates having to check back on each product yourself, especially during the holidays when your online shopping list is probably very long,” Microsoft said in a blog post.
Microsoft is also looking to elevate your shopping experience by teaming up with Good On You. It is a platform that “rates fashion brands based on their performance on a host of sustainability and social responsibility metrics.”
This partnership allows you to filter results based on “ethically sourced products” when shopping on Microsoft Bing. This will help you “shop with confidence that you are making ethical choices that align to your values”. Initially available to users in the UK, Microsoft plans to bring this feature to more markets soon.
Last but not least, the company is committing to plant a tree for every ten purchases made in the Edge browser through the end of November 2022. Microsoft will spend up to £150,000 (~$200,000) on this initiative in partnership with the Eden Reforestation Projects.
Microsoft Edge is getting safer and more power-efficient
These shopping-related features aren’t everything Microsoft Edge is getting with the latest update. The company is also making the browser safer with an improved password monitor. Edge already keeps track of your passwords to see if any data leaks have compromised them. Now, with the new update, the company is making it easier to change your passwords should they become compromised. You can do so with just one click.
This option is available on the Settings/Passwords page on Microsoft Edge. Simply click on the “Change” button next to a saved password and the browser will take you directly to the corresponding page. Microsoft will also urge you to change your password if it isn’t strong enough or you have used the same password across multiple sites. Note that this feature may not work with all websites. The company promises to expand that list over time.
Microsoft Edge is also gaining an Efficiency mode with the latest update. It will “significantly reduce” system resource usage like CPU and RAM to extend battery life.
Lastly, Edge will now let you pin Microsoft Rewards to the toolbar for easy access. For the uninitiated, Microsoft Rewards is a loyalty program that gives you points for searching or shopping in Microsoft Edge or gaming with Microsoft. You can redeem those points for gift cards, sweepstakes, and exclusives or donate to a nonprofit.
Along with all these new features, Microsoft has also announced that Edge’s price comparison and price history tools are coming to the Android app. The coupons feature is already available on both iOS and Android versions of the Edge browser.
2021-11-19 15:06:20