Weather Boosts Online Shopping at Sites Providing Voucher Codes and Discounts

LEEDS, England, January 28 - Recent severe weather conditions have meant that shoppers turned to
online sites such as VoucherSeeker
(www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes) to give them voucher codes and
discounts in order to get their retail fix for less.

The bad weather brought the country to a standstill, costing the economy
up to GBP600 million a day. It was the worst cold snap the country has faced
since 1981. The costs of repairing damage such as pot holes is expected to
rise and it is predicted to take local councils thirteen years to clear the
backlog of damage which has occurred.

Despite a better than expected Christmas for most retailers- Tesco
reported its best Christmas sales for three years- turbulent weather
conditions has meant that sales figures have decreased slowly on the high
street since the Christmas period, as consumers are simply not prepared to
brave the snow to go shopping on the high street. Instead, shoppers opted to
use voucher codes and discount vouchers from sites online.

Research by BDO High Street Sales Tracker found that for the week ending
10th January, sales were down 12.9%, with overall like for like sales down by
13%. This is the worst result since the snow of February 2009. Furniture
sales in particular dropped 26.9% as furniture customers rely on good
transport links and access in order to purchase products.

Other hindrances which affected high street stores included staff
shortages as employees were unable to get into work, as well as stock
availability due to stock delivery delays. Grocers were also severely
affected, some having to shut due to weather conditions, others faced supply
chain disruptions as airports shut and deliveries had to be re directed away
from the worst hit areas.

Some retailers took drastic action in order to help customers. In one
instance electrical retailer Currys hired a quad bike in order to make
deliveries in the snow, whilst stores such as M&S extended Christmas delivery
deadlines to give customers a chance to get into their stores.

However, instead of simply not shopping, bargain hunters turned online to
find voucher codes and discount vouchers for products from the comfort and
warmth of their own homes.

"When the weather is as bad as it has been, it's no wonder people don't
want to go out," states Neil Ainsworth, VoucherSeeker Director "However, with
stores like VoucherSeeker offering Vodafone promotional codes (
www.voucherseeker.co.uk/file/8c07f9b2387a79aa4860f829cdf713e7/vodafone
-promotional-code.html) and Currys discount codes (
www.voucherseeker.co.uk/file/a62ac26940c49940f7f8da1eabd901e1/currys-d
iscount-codes.html) for money off, consumers can still shop and get discounts
using discount codes from the comfort of their home, delivered to their
home."

(Due to the length of the above URLs, it may be necessary to copy and
paste the hyperlinks into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove
the space if one exists.)

Online retailers, meanwhile, have cause to celebrate. Not only was the
Christmas period a buoyant time for online retailers, but research by Actinic
found that online retailers reported on average a 51% increase in order
volume for November and December. This is a 42% increase in revenue on 2008.
Verdict Research found that 46% of people polled were using promotional codes
to buy their Christmas presents.

However, it would be naive to think that online retailers were not
affected by the weather. Bad transport links also meant that deliveries could
not be made when promised. However, consumers seemed to be more patient
regarding this, and online retailers were quick to act, in both communicating
this to consumers, and extending return deadlines.

Shoppers understand the internet can offer greater discounts through the
use of voucher codes and discount vouchers and therefore used it to shop over
the Christmas period. Over the severe weather, shoppers used online stores to
shop but from the comfort of their own homes.

Despite delivery deadlines being lengthened, shoppers were still happy to
shop online.

Online sales have been very positive in the run up to Christmas and even
more so with the recent bad weather. Despite better sales over the Christmas
period for most retailers, the bad weather spell has meant that shoppers turn
to discount code sites such as VoucherSeeker
(www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes) in order to find voucher codes
and discount vouchers for money off shopping. Unable to leave the house,
consumers have simply turned online in order to get their retail fix.

About VoucherSeeker

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.

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

For further information, please contact Deborah Read at VoucherSeeker:
email: deborah.read@clickangel.co.uk, direct line: +44-113-380-0891.

For further information, please contact Deborah Read at VoucherSeeker: email: deborah.read at clickangel.co.uk, direct line: +44-113-380-0891.