Ukash figures show stranded Britons turned to online
entertainment and shopping after heavy snowfall.
Ukash, the international provider of online payments with cash,
reported a growth in sales of its prepaid vouchers yesterday, as
millions of UK workers homebound after the heavy snowfall turned to
shopping and entertainment online.
Year-on-year figures reflect a 79% increase in transactions
online made using Ukash compared to the same day in 2008. The first
Monday of February is often a poor day for retailers and providers
of retail solutions such as Ukash, as the December and January
spending hits consumers' pockets. However, the heavy snow fallen in
the UK bumped the figures of redemption of Ukash across most retail
sectors yesterday. A gaming site specialised in poker games saw a
96% increase in transactions with Ukash, followed closely by the
80% growth registered by a betting site. Bingo also enjoyed a peak
yesterday, with a 81% growth, however the greatest surge was
registered in VoIP (202%) as the UK turned to internet calling to
share the extraordinary weather news with friends and family in the
UK and abroad.
Mark Chirnside, CEO of Ukash, puts this excellent performance
down to Ukash's wide availability and convenience: "With a large
number of us unable to travel, local stores became by far the most
convenient stations for the provision of goods yesterday. Four in
five Ukash vouchers are acquired from convenience stores in the UK
and, with the prospect of being 'homebound' in mind, customers had
a perfect excuse to get down to their corner shop and get a
convenient and safe way to spend a fun day shopping and playing
online alone or with family."
Ukash prepaid vouchers are a safe and convenient way to spend
online as they allow customers to pay without having to disclose
sensitive financial information. Ukash is available from 275,000
locations throughout Europe and South Africa and also via Vodafone
mobiles in the UK.
A recent research showed Ukash's average customer in the UK is
in full time employment, has a bank account and a credit or debit
card but prefers alternative and safer payment methods to transact
online.