Barclaycard introduces ShopSmart.com

NEWS Barclaycard has retained the ShopSmart brand name by integrating its own shopping portal IndigoSquare.com, with ShopSmart, the e-tailer it acquired in April for £1m. As a result, IndigoSquare will disappear as a separate brand, to be replaced by the name ShopSmart from Barclaycard. The improved website will offer elements from both shopping portals. Mark Shea, chief executive at ShopSmart, said in a statement: "The team has spent the last 10 weeks analysing the effectiveness of the marketing activity of both sites, to ensure immediate cost effective customer acquisition and retention." Barclaycard claims ShopSmart.com will offer customers an unrivalled service covering price comparisons, availability and the delivery cost of items, as well as reports on the best deals to ensure customers gain value from their online purchasing. In addition, a team of ShopSmart's in-house writers will assess all retailers that partner with the shopping site by using a star rating indicating ease of use, product range, quality of shopping experience and customer service. According to Barclaycard, the ShopSmart site has more than 500,000 visitors each month and has 60 per cent brand awareness, which is the reason behind its decision. As from today, shoppers visiting IndigoSquare.com will be re-routed to ShopSmart.com.