The further rise and rise of the internet adjudged through increased advertising and shopping spend

Online, April 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - From shopping to banking, the internet has pervaded all aspects of modern life. Consumers now routinely review a category, selecting the product that most meets their needs, and find the best supplier for it, getting additional discounts through the use of voucher cods from sites such as VoucherSeeker (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes) all without leaving the comfort of their home. They can check user reviews and even follow their favourite brands on Twitter. This begs the question, is the rise of the voucher code and the internet causing the death of traditional forms of advertising and retailing?

Last year, the Internet Advertising Bureau published a report suggesting that online advertising had overtaken television to be the biggest advertising medium in the UK, raising 4.6% in the first half of 2009. The UK internet advertising spend generated £1.75 billion and accounted for 23.5% of all spend. The result of this was television companies such as ITV facing financial difficulties due to a decrease in businesses choosing to advertise with them, instead opting for internet advertising.

Across the pond in the US, The Outsell Report found that spending on digital advertising in the US will overtake print for the first time this year. Marketers will now spend up to $119.6 billion on digital strategies and only $111.5 on print.

'Many stores offer discounts for services which are bought online, despite the service being available through other channels." States Ed Hall, VoucherSeeker Director. "VoucherSeeker offers Vodafone Promotional Codes (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes/64728/vodafonepromotionalcodes) and Currys Discount Codes (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/voucher-codes/76737/currys-discount-codes.html) to give users discounts on expensive products. The internet can be seen as empowering as through VoucherSeeker, users can get discount vouchers for products which they wouldn't normally have access to."

The internet offers marketers much more channels in which to reach customers. Social networking sites, blogs and review sites all offer marketers a chance to reach customers in a less formal way and on a more personal level. Companies can build a better relationship with customers simply by placing discount codes on a site such as VoucherSeeker. This results in qualified leads and effective branding and targeting for companies, not to mention creating brand loyalty.

The internet has also empowered consumers. Brand Reputation found that 84% of consumers were more likely to check online for reviews before making a purchase. The biggest purchases researched by consumers before making a purchase were electronics, home furniture and apparel. Not only this, consumers then go online and get vouchers and promotional codes for money off these products. In fact, voucher code sites are now the first point of call for many consumers.

UK consumers are the most enthusiastic about online spending, spending £1,102 per person online in 2009, according to The Centre For Retail Research.

More demographics have access to the internet and are realising its potential. One of these demographics is the older generation, known as the 'Silver Surfers' who are getting online. A survey by Millennium found that more than a quarter of over 50s questioned in their survey shopped for groceries online, over half spending £150 a month. Discount vouchers and discount codes are more influential for the over 50s group of people when it comes to brand loyalty. Quality and price are also significant, but vouchers make a big difference.

Not only this, but the BBC World Service found that four in five people now believe that internet access is a fundamental human right. Countries such as Finland and Estonia have already ruled that access to the internet is a basic human right for citizens. Over in America, sanctions on the internet and sales of online services have been relaxed for countries such as Iran, Cuba and Sudan to help encourage web use.

The internet is quickly overtaking print and television media as the medium of choice for consumers. By offering consumers a different way to shop using voucher codes from VoucherSeeker (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes) and new ways to reach customers for retailers, the internet is becoming the marketing tool of choice for many. The challenge for brick and mortar retailing and traditional forms of promotion such as television, radio and print is to embrace the internet and work with it rather than trying to compete. It is clear the internet is here to stay.
About VoucherSeeker

http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk is a leading UK voucher codes website. It features all the latest vouchers, voucher codes and discount codes from a wide range of shops and top brands. Users can use the site to find the latest discount vouchers and promotional codes to save money on many products and services. VoucherSeeker also provides its users with details of all the latest sales and promotions.

For further information, please contact Deborah Read at VoucherSeeker: email: [email protected], direct line: +44 113 380 0891.

VoucherSeeker® and ClickAngel® are registered trademarks of ClickAngel Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.