Kate Garraway came up with the idea and name Goodypass.com after she set out to find ways of developing a long term business that offered something real and of value to her fans.  Her idea was that celebrities get freebies so why shouldn’t the general public and these values also suit the sites aims to push products in a socially authentic way. Kate has also signed up twelve other celebrities to help her promote deals on the site and each will have their own portal which will include videos, photos and a blog, from where they can recommend deals. These celebrities include Alison Hammond, Lynda Bellingham, Aldo Zilli, Lisa Faukner and Laura Hamilton to name just a few. The site also intends to donate 5% of all profits to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for kids.  

Goodypass joins a growing number of social commerce sites best illustrated by LivingSocial and Groupon which has been a massive success in America and has recently been valued at over $1 billion. It could perhaps be questioned that the online voucher market is becoming a crowded market place but having celebrities making recommendations does tend to give the site an exciting edge.

How does Goodypass work and what is on offer?

Goodypass.com works with a wide range of national and local businesses to source deals which offer members access to discounts on various goods and services including beauty treatments and designer clothing and accessories.  To buy a goodypass deal all you have to do is click, buy now, register, pay and you are sent an email with a link so that you can print your voucher. Your voucher will then detail exactly what you need to do to redeem it.  Once you’ve tried it out you might want to tell your friends all about the company and Goodypass are offering £5 credit to members who refer a new member providing your friend buys a deal within 72 hours of receiving your invitation.

So how does Goodpass.com make a profit? As well as negotiating discounts which are passed direct to consumers, commission is also negotiated for the company. This percentage helps to cover the cost of running the businesses and it is hoped this will eventually allow the business to make a profit. Until then celebrities involved will laso take a share of the commission in return for their involvement.

Potential influence of Celebrities on Social Commerce

Using celebrities to promote offers to a mainstream audience does seem like a smart move.  What makes Goodypass different is that it allows consumers to communicate directly with showbiz personalities. Most offer sites are set up with no pre existing brand or audience, however Goodypass is already an official discount partner of Ok magazine and Kate is very active on Twitter and blogs every week.  Kate only joined Twitter last year and already has over 38,000 twitter followers and Angela Griffin has 43,422 so Goodypass has an opportune audience base.  

The offers aren’t available for every city yet, but the company is growing very quickly. The website states that if you can help get any Goodypass.com deals in your city to get in touch.  The sector of celebrity and social commerce definitely seems like one to watch.  It is currently free to sign up to Goodypass.com so I’m definately tempted to give it a go!

Goodypass.com: A group buying site offering members a slice of a Celebrity Lifestyle Online is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

The launch of affiliate voucher code and cash back sites in 2009 has influenced the way we all shop online. As consumers raced for the best deals and offers this Christmas, retailers were at the same time fighting to provide the best promotions.

There is no doubt that the recession has hit the high street hard however consumer spending hasn’t, and has no signs of stopping. In fact a recent retail report published by PayPal showed that online spending in the UK is set to more than double by 2011.

The Voucher Code Affiliates

Retailers use a range of affiliate marketing techniques to send shoppers to their own websites, by paying out commission on sales or enquiries. A staggering £227m was estimated to be paid in commissions and fees to affiliates during 2009.

Consumer awareness of affiliate channels is consistently increasing, and the use of voucher code sites is a prime example of the online marketing industry innovating and responding to market changes.

Also, now the IAB guidelines have been introduced to protect consumers against voucher code bad practice, customers can now be confident that the discounts and offers they subscribe to are more reliable than ever before.

How can retailers take advantage of the increase?

Consumers in the UK, and indeed the world, are doing more research before making their purchasing decision. Voucher codes sites, Cashback sites and Review sites have a large role to play in this new buying cycle.

A study by LinkShare earlier this year found that 81% of their respondents were doing online research ‘most of the time’ before buying a product and in addition to that, 92% said they now had more confidence in online information than the sales advisors that they came across in shops.

This provides a key opportunity for retailers and their marketing agencies to capture the ‘browsers’ as they are contemplating their purchase decision. The key is to observe their consumers behaviour and offer them the right information in the right format at exactly the right time to capture that sale. This is a massive area where affiliate marketing has the opportunity to gain a larger market share in 2010.

What does 2010 have in store for Voucher Code sites?

Now that the UK consumer has become accustomed to the extra value offered by voucher code sites, there is no chance that they will be going back to the higher prices that they may have paid before. So it appears that this trend is here to stay as we head into 2010.

2009 – The Year of the Voucher Code is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.