• TechCrunch, Thursday, April 16, 2009 11:30 AM

Microsoft has combined Live Search Products and Live Search Cashback, TechCrunch reports. The integration allows users to access Cashback on the shopping comparison site. Cashback, for those who aren't familiar, is a program that gives discounts to users who click through and buy products from the ads they're shown.

The "drastic and seemingly desperate" ploy to lure searchers to Live Search hasn't worked, however, as Live Search's share of the U.S. market continues to hover at around 9%, which is what it was before Microsoft launched the initiative. Google's share, meanwhile, is 62%. Cashback has helped Live Search's bottom line, however: according to TechCrunch, last fall Microsoft reported 30% growth in Cashback offers made to customers, with 20 of the web's 50 top online retailers in the U.S. participating in the program.

Live Search Products, a separate shopping comparison/search engine, was launched in 2006 as a way to give users more relevant results when shopping for products online. It was meant to be a direct competitor to Froogle, which has been reborn as Google Search Products.

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