Whether you’re buying gifts for friends or just trying to find a little something for yourself, online shopping tools can save you a lot of money. Now, Microsoft is adding its own price comparison tool to its browser, Microsoft Edge.
How Does the Microsoft Edge Price Comparison Tool Work?
The Verge first caught wind of this feature, which will arrive on the main browser before the Christmas 2020 season.
This price checker will arrive in a big update containing the Insider Build’s Web Clipper tool. This makes the update a great way to find the best deals and save them for later use.
Microsoft provided a GIF that demonstrates how this new feature works.
From the example, we can see that this new shopping tool will act as a sidebar beside the main browsing window. When you’re on a product’s page, you can add it to the sidebar, which you can presumably revisit for future reference.
When the item is in the sidebar, you can click it to see prices from other retailers. These other retailers have a little “add” button next to them, which presumably adds the retailer’s price to your sidebar.
If you can save items for later purchase, this will be a great tool for bargain hunters. You need not scour the web for daily deals; just save the item for later and check for a sale every so often.
Microsoft’s Move Into a Post-COVID World
Microsoft’s addition of a price comparison tool into Edge is a great idea by itself, but we can further analyze the company’s intent by what it has planned.
First of all, the company wants this update available for everyone to use before the holiday 2020 season. This means the company wants people using this feature to perform their Christmas shopping.
Not only that, but we’re headed for the first (and hopefully, only) Christmas under a COVID lockdown. The bustling high street and family get-togethers are off the table this year; everything is moving into the digital space.
As such, if Microsoft can make its browser practically do the Christmas shopping for you, the company has a good amount of leverage to get people off of Chrome and Firefox and onto its browser.
Is This Microsoft’s Edge This Holiday Season?
Microsoft Edge is getting a price comparison tool in time for the Christmas 2020 shopping season. With people taking to online stores to buy their gifts, it’s a genius move from Microsoft. Will it be enough for people to leave their favorite browser, however?
If you’re getting to grips with how online shopping works, it’s a good idea to get shop-savvy before you spend your hard-earned money. There are plenty of tips and tricks for each online store that can save you some serious time and money.
Image Credit: Natee Photo / Shutterstock
