O2
signs up 1 million online customers
O2 UK's online channel recently signed up its one-millionth
customer
17 November 2003
O2 UK's online channel recently signed up its one-millionth
customer, making it the most popular service of its kind in Europe.
This follows an exceptional 7-month period to 31 October 2003,
during which O2 UK's online subscriber base grew by more than
5% per month. O2 Online now accounts for around 8% of O2 UK's
customer base of 12.6 million.
Almost 35% of O2 UK's online subscribers are contract
customers, and those on both pre and post pay services consistently
record higher than average ARPU levels. They are also heavy users
of mobile data services such as text, MMS (media messaging), ringtones
and surfing the Internet. The average O2 Online customer sends
250 text messages per month.
O2 Online leverages the power and growing popularity of the Internet
to acquire and maintain customers. It offers unique tariffs and
service packages and gets in excess of 200,000 unique visitors
per week. It is particularly appealing to 16-24 year-olds, many
of whom are students taking advantage of the text message 'bundles'
available. This has helped O2 increase its share of this high-value
market. O2 frequently selects customer trialists from the O2 Online
customer base - giving them the opportunity to shape the mobile
data services of the future. Recent examples include MMS, O2 Active
and O2's forthcoming mobile music service.
The recently announced O2 Online 'Business Shop' is also performing
strongly. It offers businesses, and particularly small and medium-sized
enterprises, tailored tariffs and services; and forms part of
O2's increasing focus on the small business sector.
Kent Thexton, chief marketing and data officer, mmO2, said: "We
believe that O2 Online is a unique e-commerce offering, and is
benefiting from a growing acceptance, and indeed preference, for
purchasing over the Internet. It is a great way to build relationships
with our customers - this is borne out in the fact that more than
two thirds of new customers are referrals and we see customers
buying in 'clusters' of friends and family. We believe that this
channel is a powerful tool in driving incremental sales of new
data services."
O2 Online played a significant role in driving 40% of UK sales
through O2's own channels1 in the second quarter, compared to
less than 30% in the same period last year. O2 UK aims to increase
this further by the end of FY04. Much of this success can be attributed
to the powerful O2 brand - spontaneous brand awareness has risen
from 32% in September 2002 to 48% in September 2003.
O2
| 
