LEEDS, ENGLAND, January 30, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- 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 (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/file/8c07f9b2387a79aa4860f829cdf713e7/vodafone-promotional-code.html) and Currys discount codes (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/file/a62ac26940c49940f7f8da1eabd901e1/currys-discount-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."
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 naïve 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 (http://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
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 and ClickAngel are registered trademarks of ClickAngel Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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