News 2003
Branson “flashes” out at UK loyalty schemes
11/08/2003
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile today urged shoppers to `Flash-It’ in his music stores so they can enjoy Britain’s most generous loyalty scheme. The `It’ in `Flash-It’ is their Virgin Mobile phone and `Flash-It’ is Virgin Mobile’s new loyalty scheme, Virgin Mobile customers simply flash their phones in Virgin Megastores or Virgin Megastores Xpress to get an instant £1 free airtime voucher, for every £10 they spend.
`Flash It’ gives customers a 10% return for their money, which is more than twice as generous as the next best major rewards scheme. Spend £20 on music, dvds, games or videos, and get 10% back with a £2 airtime voucher, and if you spend £30 then you get £3 worth of airtime back. It can be extremely difficult to be rewarded at other retailers; in some cases you’d need to spend around £200 to get a carton of soup and at least £2,000 to get a free DVD.
The `Flash It’ concept has already been successfully pioneered by Virgin Mobile in Australia, where it has been a huge success and has been extended beyond Virgin Megastores to third party shops, bars, clubs and restaurants. Virgin Mobile customers simply flash their phones to receive discounts off goods and services. Virgin Mobile UK aims to expand its loyalty scheme in a similar way.
Sir Richard Branson personally launched the idea to Virgin Megastores staff in London recently, the scheme is designed to give customers more than ever before from a mobile phone.
Virgin Mobile’s Sir Richard Branson said: “The logic behind `Flash It’ is simple: Virgin Mobile values its customers. We wanted to find a simple way of giving customers something that is instant and meaningful, which is why we’ve re-written the rule book of what people should expect from their mobile and loyalty schemes. We know Virgin Mobile customers love music and entertainment, which is why working with Virgin Megastores, we have introduced this benefit for our customers. So, if you’ve never flashed before – start now, it’s worth it!”
