Rolling Stones tickets catch the imagination of shoppers as department store adds Ukash as cash payment option

London, July 2013 – Discount department store, TJ Hughes added online cash payment provider, Ukash, to its payment options last month. To mark the launch of the service, designed to appeal to the cash shoppers that had always been loyal to the TJ Hughes stores, a high profile competition supported by social media and online marketing activity offered Rolling Stones tickets and cash to spend at TJ Hughes.

The combination of Ukash and the Rolling Stones proved a strong pull with more than 12,500 entries in less than two weeks.  Crucially 90% of entries to the competition were new Ukash users and therefore new customers for TJ Hughes.  Ben Audsley from London who won £100 in Ukash to spend at TJ Hughes said it was the ease of use and security that made Ukash so appealing. “Ukash was quick and easy to use and I’m looking forward to buying a new king size memory foam mattress from TJ Hughes – they have some amazing bargains!”

“Adding Ukash as an online payment method means customers who prefer to pay with cash can still snap up premium brands online and benefit from our discount prices,” explained Martin Fisher, Head Of ECommerce at TJ Hughes. “We are keen to harness the power of the existing Ukash customer base, bringing the TJ Hughes brand to an even wider audience as we develop our online presence, as well as giving our existing loyal customers more choice and it certainly seems that the launch competition achieved that goal.”

TJ Hughes specialises in home and fashion, fragrance and cosmetics, technology and electricals, offering consumers big name brands at up to 70% discount. With more customers preferring to shop with cash, TJ Hughes was keen to tap into the cash online facility of Ukash to retain loyal customers who had previously visited its bricks and mortar stores.

“This success of this marketing campaign to launch the partnership with TJ Hughes demonstrates the pulling power of Ukash for ecommerce merchants”, added Malcolm Berg, Director of Merchant Services for Ukash.

“Ukash enables consumers around the world to use cash to shop, pay and play online safely, securely and conveniently. Developed to protect personal identity and financial information when making online transactions, reducing the threat of credit and debit card fraud for consumers, Ukash has no age limit, so consumers of all ages can make the most of safe payment online. This makes it a valuable alternative payment method for online retailers like TJ Hughes who want to reach the widest possible audience.”

Ukash codes are purchased with cash in retail outlets such as shops, petrol stations and kiosks. The unique 19 digit codes can then be used to pay directly on any of the thousands of websites that accept Ukash transactions worldwide, or loaded onto prepaid cards and e-wallets.

The maximum single value allowed is £200/€250 and the maximum amount that can be held by an individual customer is £1,000/€1,250 – equivalent values in other currencies apply to both sums.

Pioneering the online payment market over a decade ago, Ukash has grown to 460,000 physical points of purchase and is available in more than 50 countries. It is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).