Imagine getting paid for using a browser. Microsoft has just launched a new rewards system that pays for using the minimalist new web browser – Edge.
Edge, which was introduced by Microsoft alongside Windows 10, is faster, lightweight and more cutting edge than other popular browsers. Nevertheless, it is Google’s Chrome that rules the roost with almost 60 per cent market share. Edge has failed to capture the market as much, hence the innovative reward strategy.
The newly re-branded Microsoft Rewards was popular as Bing Rewards and paid people for using Bing as their preferred search engine. The reward program now offers points for using Edge as well as Bing. Users also earn points shopping at the Microsoft store.
Points earned can be traded in for vouchers or credits to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Skype and the ad-free version of Outlook.com.
Microsoft reportedly will monitor how users are responding to the program.
Microsoft claims its browser can last longer than its counterparts – Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Edge can also deliver 36-53 per cent more battery life while doing daily tasks, including watching videos on YouTube, browsing Internet or accessing social networks.
Interestingly, Chrome remains the most popular choice on Windows 10, according to San Francisco-based firm Quantcast. The firm also holds that Internet Explorer accounts for a meagre 5 per cent of traffic from Windows 10 users.
Noticeably, Microsoft once dominated the web with Internet Explorer, a predecessor to Edge.