LEEDS, England, November 2 /PRNewswire/ --     Social networking and voucher code websites such as VoucherSeeker
(http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes) are changing the way consumer
shop. No longer content with shopping in the high street, 25% of consumers
are now shopping on the virtual high street for better deals.

A survey commissioned by The Loyalty Practice at HS&P has found that 53%
of British adults who use the internet say they are conducting more
transactions online, whilst 74% of people compare price products online.

"The internet is an extremely valuable tool for consumers," states Ed
Wilkinson, Director "Sites such as VoucherSeeker which offer discount
vouchers and discount codes for money off products, or comparison sites are
extremely useful to families and consumers shopping on a budget."

Vouchers and promotional codes sites such as VoucherSeeker are seeing
more consumers looking online for voucher codes in order to get money off.
However, the online community goes further than searching for Vodafone
promotional codes (
http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/voucher-codes/8c07f9b2387a79aa4860f829cdf713e7
/vodafone-promotional-code.html) and Currys discount codes. (
http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/voucher-codes/a62ac26940c49940f7f8da1eabd901e1
/currys-discount-codes.html)

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

Society's values are no longer held by the community. People live in one
place and work in another and tend to keep themselves to themselves. Instead,
new online communities have emerged which have a greater impact on society.

Asda President and Chief Executive Andy Bond has stated that consumers
are losing trust and confidence in big corporations and are placing it in
family and local communities. Bond believes that a rise in consumer knowledge
and information sharing on the internet will empower customers. The way they
shop and what they expect from retailers will change.

Ed agrees with this, stating: "Consumers now expect retailers to offer
discount vouchers and discount codes. If not, the retailer is viewed in a
more negative light by the consumer."

Bond suggests that in the future customers will shape businesses, and
will demand what they want, instead of retailers dictating what customers
should want.

Consumers are starting play a more active role in the prices they pay for
items, turning to voucher code sites such as VoucherSeeker for money off
products and understanding how to use the internet to find the best
discounts.

The internet, however, now plays an even more vital role for consumers,
not only in locating vouchers and promotional codes for discounts, but also
in customer service and satisfaction.

Bond has made a valid point in that consumers are losing trust and
confidence in big corporations. The survey commissioned by The Loyalty
Practice at HS&P found that one in four customers are less brand loyal, 23%
of people stating they were a bit less or much less loyal to brands in 2009
than in 2008.

However, 33% of consumers were loyal to supermarkets. Perhaps this is due
to supermarkets ability to react quickly to the recession and consumer
demands. All supermarkets have seen a rise in own brand product sales, whilst
some offer more comfort foods to consumers and others, such as Tesco, offer
consumers more points and rewards for the money they do spend. The big four
supermarkets also have an online presence on discount vouchers sites offering
regular discounts on certain products.

The single factor most likely to influence loyalty to a brand in the long
term was 'exclusive privileges offered to frequent buyers.' Perhaps offering
a wide range of discount codes and vouchers, or more exclusive promotional
codes online would go further than retailers think. Some retailers have used
social networking sites such as Twitter in order to exclusively launch new
products, whilst website Compare the Market launched their new advert
featuring Meer cat Aleksandr Orlov exclusively on YouTube.

Social networking sites, therefore, should not be overlooked by
retailers. Research by Harris Interactive for Tealeaf found that 13% of
consumers who had encountered problems with online transactions had shared
these experiences via a blog or social networking websites.

84% of consumers are more likely to check online for product reviews
before making a purchasing decision. 74% of people agreed they would be
influenced by negative comments they read online. 51% of people agreed that
social media content directly influenced how they conducted online
transactions, whilst 75% of consumers agreed that it affected their choice of
vendor. Social networking sites are the new hubs for people to engage
communities. A bad report on a social networking site is highly damaging for
consumers.

However, social media is not completely bad for the retailer. 35% of
consumers would respond to a positive review on social networking sites.

According to blogger Jeremiah Owyang, this is just the beginning of
social networking. He has suggested that in the future people will connect
with each other rather than companies and that consumers will rely on their
peers to make online decisions. Socially connected consumers will shift the
power away from brands and communities will start to state what they want
from brands and products.

The internet is now a powerful tool for consumers, enabling them to
compare prices and get discounts using voucher code sites such as
VoucherSeeker (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes) for money off
products. It also enables people to communicate about brands and to read
reviews about other consumers experiences. This is extremely positive for the
retailer if the review is a positive one, however, this can be extremely
damaging if the review is not.

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: deborah.read@clickangel.co.uk direct line: +44-113-380-0891.

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