Brits 'searching for vouchers'

Whether or not the credit crunch is to blame, Brits are certainly looking for a bargain online.

Research by Hitwise Intelligence revealed that the number of searches for discount vouchers has hone up by 133 per cent over the last year.

The company’s Robin Goad speculated that the rise of websites specialising in vouchers could be responsible, with visits to these locations seeing a jump of 45 per cent over the same period.

Additionally, one in every 200 visit to an online retailer comes via one of these voucher sites.

“Bargain hungry shoppers are looking for discount vouchers that will help them save money both online and on the high street,” said Mr Goad.

“During the 12 weeks ending November 15th, UK internet users searched for over 20,000 different variations on the term ‘voucher’, with many of these looking for discount voucher codes to use at the online checkout.”

Online shopping in general is predicted to be very big this Christmas, with a study by online bank Egg finding that four out of five people will use the internet for shopping this Christmas.