 |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Media centre /
Press releaseINTERNET SALES SOAR FOLLOWING WEBSITE RE-LAUNCH 04 October 2005Record £100 Million Web Sales in August 2005Savers looking for a safe home for their money flocked to the National Savings and Investments (NS&I) website, investing a record £117 million in the month of August alone – the highest amount recorded since the online sales facility was first introduced in June 2002. Supported by their first television advertising campaign in six years, fronted by Sir Alan Sugar, NS&I achieved a milestone in September with more than $70bn invested in the government-backed savings and investment provider. Following the late July launch of the campaign Britons invested more than £1bn in NS&I’s products during August. Surge in online sales In the eight months following the re-launch of the website in January 2005, NS&I sold more than £480m worth of savings and investment products online – up from just £31m in the previous eight months. Within just six days of the re-launch there had been £10m worth of on-line sales without any promotion. The site was highly commended at the recent Financial Services Forum Awards for Marketing Excellence, and attracted the attention of more than 10,000 new customers in the two months immediately following the re-launch, accounting for 50% of online sales. The number of new customers using the site rose to more than 20,000 by August. The revamped website forms an integral part of NS&I’s modernisation programme which aims to increase customer accessibility and choice by investing in telephony, internet and regular saving capability. Key to the site’s success has been the introduction of an online purchasing facility for Premium Bonds, responsible for 94% of web sales in August. In July NS&I announced the double jackpot, giving every Bond holder two chances to win £1m every month. NS&I’s inflation-beating Index-linked Savings Certificates are also proving a popular investment, guaranteed to protect investors’ money from the effects of tax and inflation and pay tax-free returns on top. Safe and secure Visitors to www.nsandi.com can now purchase 100% secure, HM Treasury-backed savings products from the comfort of their own home. Many internet users prefer online shopping because it is quick, convenient and accessible at any time. More than 55% (13.1 million) of households across Great Britain now have internet access*. John Prout, NS&I sales director said, “As a business we are developing, modernising and improving the way in which customers can save and invest with us. The new website capability makes it easier than ever for customers to invest in NS&I’s products, taking away the need to fill out lengthy forms.” NS&I’s products are also available to buy over the phone, via post, online and in Post Offices™ throughout the UK. From the end of 2005 information and application forms will also be available in selected Tesco stores nationwide, following the announcement of a new marketing partnership in mid-September. During the last financial year NS&I also experienced a sharp increase in telephone sales from £790 million a year to £1.4 billion and call centres taking, on average, nearly 9,000 calls a day. * Source: National Statistics Online ENDS
Notes to Editors About National Savings and Investments National Savings and Investments is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK, offering a range of savings and investments products to 26 million customers. All products offer 100% capital security, because they are backed by HM Treasury.
On-line Applications The following products are available to buy online at www.nsandi.com:
Information for the following products is available on the NS&I website (www.nsandi.com)
Media team The numbers below are for media use only. Customers wishing to contact NS&I can find details here.
|
|
Search |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
