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By Alan, on March 9th, 2012
 Intersperience are specialists in consumer research and have recently shown how more British consumers are simply using shops as a showroom.
They will go into the shop, play with the merchandise they are considering buying, then get on their smart phones to find a cheaper price online.
The practice has been called showrooming and it is becoming quite a concern for retailers on the high street who are often undercut by rival firms online, as they can offer lower prices.
The research company has shown that the use of smartphones when shopping has changed the way people buy things. The internet has had a serious effect on the high Street and the smartphone revolution is making it even more noticeable than before.
Intersperience is headed by Paul Hudson who said, “Accessing the internet on a smart phone has changed people’s shopping habits permanently. The balance of power in the retailer consumer relationship has also permanently changed and it seems as if in the near future this trend is only going to continue.
“This revolution is putting a pressure on retailers to make shopping on the high street more attractive to consumers. They can do this through several measures, such as offering better prices, or limited-edition products. They are often seen to offer better service than online companies and this is one reason why many people still decide to shop in stores.”
A survey by Intersperience has shown that 30 percent of people in the UK use their mobile phone while shopping to make price comparisons. These people also use it to check out reviews about the product while in store, and also check its availability with online retailers and other high street locations.
Of all the people who use their smart phones in a store, about 30 percent make a purchase with an online retailer while they are standing in the store offering it at a different price.
A project is being released in May which is called Internet on the Move and it is going to be looking at how people use their smartphone in shops in more detail. A participant of the study recently commented, “The phone is very useful as it allows you to find the perfect product as well as saving you money.”
Some people who use their mobile phone to price check in store often use the information to negotiate with the physical shop. Sometimes this process is successful, but in many cases the retailer simply can’t afford to sell it for the same price as an online retailer.
Mr Hudson continued, “Consumers are very fortunate because the smart phone allows the power to return to them. They can find out information about any product in a matter of moments and this changes the position of those offering customer service in the store.
They can no longer tell a customer that they have the best price, if the customer has just found it cheaper online. That said, people still enjoy the experience of shopping on the high street, although it is turning into more of a fact-finding mission.”
By Alan, on March 9th, 2012
 The loyalty scheme encouraging people to buy local has recently gained another client as Ashley Funeral Care, located in Scunthorpe, is going to start offering a discount on the fees of its funeral direction service.
The discount is going to only be available to people with the Buy Local loyalty card and is going to entitle them to a 15 percent discount.
The manager of the company is Sue McLean and she has commented, “We haven’t seen a great deal of change since we started with the scheme but we are well aware that it is early days yet. We really think that the benefit to the business is going to be seen in the long run, and is going to be significant.
“Buy Local is a fantastic initiative for promoting local business and it really shows how people want to support small traders in their community. Supporting small businesses is very important for the future of business in this country as they provide a personal service that can’t be found anywhere else. I would highly recommend people to sign up for the loyalty scheme as it is of benefit to them, as well as local businesses.”
The funeral company opened late last year and the owners have 15 years of experience in funeral direction. Ms McLean has said that she prefers to direct funerals in a traditional way and take the utmost care with families.
The funeral directors fee, which people can get a discount on, includes the price of the coffin, as well as interaction with any third parties involved with the service. All documents will also be completed and there are a wide selection of coffins available for people to choose. The funeral home has a 24 hour service and is a known for operating a very fast response.
By Alan, on March 8th, 2012
 Consumers looking for a good deal on their home broadband and telephone calls should take advantage of a special introductory offer from mobile phone provider,Orange. For just £15 a month, customers can sign up to the company’s Orange Broadband & Anytime Mobile Calls package, which allows unlimited internet usage, at speeds of up to 20Mb, as well as unlimited calls to UK landlines.
Subscribers to this deal normally get an additional 500 minutes of landline to mobile calls, butOrangehas doubled this allowance to a generous 1,000 minutes for a short time only. As if that was not enough, new customers are also being enticed to sign up withOrangewith a free £70 voucher for Sainsbury’s, which can be used in supermarkets throughout the country.
When it comes to the broadband part of the Orange Broadband & Anytime Mobile Calls package, users get a free Bright Box router, which makes wi-fi internet access easy, from a range of devices anywhere in the house. Best of all, there is no initial connection fee so you can start browsing and calling as soon as you sign on the dotted line. The £15 offer does not include line rental; though at just £13.50 per month even this is one of the cheapest deals on the market.
Customers who already have a good calls deal through another supplier, or are just interested in the Orange broadband package, can instead sign up for the Orange Simply Broadband offer, priced at just £12.75 per month. With the same unlimited monthly usage and 20Mb speed as the Orange Broadband & Anytime Mobile Calls deal, this is a great price for a great broadband offer.
By Alan, on March 8th, 2012
 With Mother’s Day just around the corner, youngsters and grown-up children alike are looking for inspiration when it comes to gifts for the special woman in their lives. Websites which offer weekly money-off voucher deals can not only help buyers come up with new and original ideas for Mother’s Day gifts, but can also save the buyer a few pounds into the bargain.
Discountvouchers.co.uk is one of the leading voucher sites in theUK, and this week the deals include money off at High Street favourites like Debenhams, House of Fraser and Marks & Spencer – all of which are full of potential gifts for Mums of any age.
The Debenhams deal not only offers money off purchases, but allows customers to have products delivered to their home, or their Mum’s home address, for free. Should your gift choice not quite hit the mark, or if the size is wrong, the deal also allows buyers to return the item for free too.
Marks & Spencer, meanwhile, is offering a range of Mother’s Day deals in its vouchers this week. As well as money off products in store, like toiletries and food gifts, Discountvouchers.co.uk is also providing consumers with the chance to order reduced plants and flowers for Mother’s Day, with free delivery available.
Finally, the voucher deals from House of Fraser this week include huge reductions on some of the department store’s leading brands, including half off many beauty and cosmetic ranges and a massive 70% of all bed linens.
Managing director at Discountvouchers.co.uk, Doug Jones, is delighted that retailers are doing their bit to help consumers save some money and find great gifts for their Mums. He added that regular users of the Discountvouchers.co.uk website are used to great deals from High Street stores, and this week’s offers are no exception.
One of a growing number of online voucher sites, Discountvouchers.co.uk not only regularly features High Street shops, but also offers from local supermarkets, travel bargains and one-off deals from specialist retailers at various times of the year. Users can receive email updates to keep track of the best deals that week, and choose which ones will save them the most money.
By Alan, on March 3rd, 2012
 An Elvis Presley show is going to be taking place in the UK. The concert is going to feature a video projection of Elvis singing while his former band mates perform live.
The show is going to be a major attraction for fans of the legendary musician and it is going to feature voice tracks that were recorded at some of his most famous concerts.
Backing vocals are going to be provided by the original members of the band. This includes members of the TCB Band, Elvis’ Imperials and the Sweet Inspirations. This music is also going to be accompanied by a performance by the British Philharmonic Orchestra.
There are several concerts taking place and the locations for these concerts are Manchester, Glasgow, Sheffield, London and Birmingham. There are going to be two shows held in London, one at the O2 Arena and one at Wembley Stadium.
All of these concerts are being held in a big arena and this is the only time that this is happening. This means that this is one going to be one of the very few opportunities that people are going to get to experience what it was like to see Elvis in concert.
There is a competition being run by Memphis & Mississippi Tourism that is going to allow one lucky fan from the UK to take a trip to Memphis and visit Graceland Mansion. The prize includes a set of return flights to Memphis as well as accommodation in a great hotel. Additionally, the winner is also going to be given hotel accommodation in Tupelo for several days, which is the birthplace of Elvis.
The lucky winner will also get tickets to visit Tour Graceland and see all the exhibitions about Elvis. More information about the competition can be found on the tourism website for Memphis & Mississippi
By admin, on February 28th, 2012
It is no secret that more of us than ever are shopping online. Convenience, choice and value are the top reasons given in many surveys. This makes perfect sense as there is no trawling around shops looking for something in a specific size and coming home exhausted and empty handed. Sitting on the sofa with a coffee and a laptop is how many describe the ideal shopping experience, and this is becoming a reality for millions.
There is probably nothing that you can’t buy online; from perfume to Caribbean Cruises to dog kennels, and while this is great for the consumer, what is it costing those on the high street? The streets of our towns are littered with empty shops and closing down sales. These small businesses cannot afford to match the internet prices what with premises, wages and energy bills and other overheads to pay for.
The decline of in town shopping has been increasing for years, but things are getting to breaking point with Big names being forced to close their doors. A frequently asked question is that why has this happened when these companies also had websites selling their wares. There is no easy answer to this, it could be the fact that they had such a huge volume of stores they were loathe to close down, or mismanagement.
Whatever the reason, the ones who are surviving are those who have closed certain shops where they were losing money and making sure that they always have a full range available on their websites, so very few customers look for an item and see the dreaded words ‘out of stock’.
One of the top travel agencies is in serious financial difficulties, and there is every likelihood there brand will soon disappear from our streets and they will become only online traders, just like the travel sites that have brought about this crisis.
There is a clear message that everyone should have grasped by now; to stay on the ball get online. Even small independent shops need to make their presence known online; internet shopping isn’t the fad everyone thought it was going to be. It is the way of the future and those who fail to keep up with it will, sadly, more than likely fall by the wayside.
Article courtesy of Escentual
By Alan, on February 24th, 2012
 The home insurance products offered by the Sainsbury supermarket chain have recently been expanded and two new policies have become available.
A discount on the standard insurance offered by the supermarket can be attained by those who have the Nectar loyalty card.
There is an even greater bonus for people who take out the premium version of the home insurance however as they will get twice as many nectar points for two years than people without the insurance. This equates to around two percent off their shopping over the two-year period.
The supermarket point out that if you spend £100 a week on groceries then you are going to be receiving around £104 every year in vouchers for the supermarket. This is about half the cost of the average insurance policy offered by Sainsbury’s.
A representative from the Moneynet.co.uk website which does price comparisons is Andrew Hagger and he has commented, “If you have low premiums and live in an area with a Sainsbury’s then this is going to be a pretty great deal for you. If however you have a more expensive insurance premium then it’s not going to be so rewarding.”
The current deal offered by Sainsbury’s on insurance is three months free insurance on a year’s policy. This deal expires in early June and covers both buildings and their contents. If you buy online you can save an additional 20 percent.
By Alan, on February 24th, 2012
 British Gas have recently launched a new incentive scheme which is going to be paying £50 to customers who give information about their friends who might need free insulation.
Free insulation is currently provided to vulnerable households at no charge and in order for the company to meet the government set targets they have started offering this incentive.
The government has made it an obligation for energy companies to provide free insulation to households with a limited income, which is usually thought to be people with a household income of anything less than £16,000. It can also apply to people who are on disability benefits or have some form of income related pension.
The idea is that customers will pass on information about potential homes that might qualify for the scheme and, as well as the person giving information benefitting, the person who receives the insulation will also get a £50 reward.
The price of electricity bills has recently been reduced but they are still significantly higher than they have been in the past. The recent very cold weather has meant that some homes have faced very large energy bills which they can barely afford. It is estimated that having loft insulation in your home can reduce your energy bill by nearly £200. It is estimated that with wall insulation as well the amount saved can rise to over £300 on average.
British Gas is not the first company to offer an incentive of this kind and Scottish & Southern Energy give people a £25 shopping voucher and the energy company EOn gives people £100. Many people assume that only those on a low income will qualify for this type of free insulation however this is not always the case and many energy companies will provide this no matter how much you earn.
A Consumer Focus spokeswoman has recently said, “As a general rule, if your home does not have adequate insulation then you will be able to get loft insulation for free, it doesn’t matter how much you earn. If you want to know whether your supplier will do this for you, just ask them.”
By Alan, on February 17th, 2012
 One of the top online shopping websites for UK customers is New Voucher UK, an electronic shopping portal that offers customers an efficient and easy way to find the best deals online.
By using the New Voucher UK website browsers can easily find the best coupon codes and facilities that list voucher codes for all of their favorite shops.
Online shopping is quickly becoming one of the most preferred forms of shopping due to the fact that it allows customers to shop in very little time. In addition, most shoppers benefit from the wider variety of brands, products, sizes, and ranges available online, making it the better solution for getting exactly what you want.
New Voucher UK compliments this shopping experience by offering promotional codes and coupon codes to top shopping websites so that shoppers get an even better deal while online. Promotional codes on the website are available for all types of purchases; including travel discounts, discounts on many top consumer products, gym equipment, and even airport parking.
All of the New Voucher UK coupon codes are regularly checked to make sure they are up to date and actually work. In addition, the website is constantly updated so that the latest and newest promotional codes are always listed.
One of the perks of using New Voucher UK is the fact that the best rebates are all carefully sorted and placed in one location to make the online marketplace easier to use. The coupon codes can all be easily cut and pasted onto any checkout offer box and are effective immediately so that they can make any online purchase instantly much more affordable.
In addition, New Voucher UK also offers an email subscription for those who want to be kept in the loop on all of the top discounts and latest savings.
By Alan, on February 17th, 2012
 Oxfam is a charity known for helping underprivileged people around the world and they’ve recently announced a partnership with the retailer Marks & Spencer.
The two companies have announced that if you take any Marks & Spencer clothes to an Oxfam store they will give you a voucher which is valued at five pounds which you can redeem in the store.
The voucher is valid when you spend £35 in the shop and it does not just cover clothes and can be used on beauty products as well as items for the home as well. Plan A is an initiative that has been started by Marks & Spencer which details a series of promises that the company plans to achieve by 2015.
The company said that in the near future they are looking to become one of the most sustainable retailers in the world. The first type of exchange programme like this was started between the two companies back in 2008. Many people have described it as one of the best partnerships for doing social good of the last few years.
In the last four years around £3 million has been raised for Oxfam by the sale of used clothes. As well as raising money it has prevented over 2000 tonnes of waste clothing from going to landfill. Part of the scheme is a dedicated day each year where people can clean out their wardrobes.
Plan A director is Richard Gillies who commented, “Far too many clothes are being thrown away and by donating them to charities they are raising money for good causes as well as helping save the environment. This new scheme is an easy way for people to get money off voucher and do some good to the world.” The plan has been praised by many groups.
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