Marks and Spencer - 4.5% conversion today with the 20% offer - get on board quick

**Malcolm Cowley** · 02-12-04

Hi

If you are not using links for this merchant get some up very quick as the conversion has risen sharply today and the EPC is well up - the 20% off offer is working extremely well.

Its short notice but if you have the time then today is a M+S day for sure

Mal

**Jon** · 02-12-04

It's so good, their site's down. Surely they should have anticipated high traffic and catered accordingly? Mad!

**Malcolm Cowley** · 02-12-04

Down?

Can you pm your link Jon as its going through ok for me at the moment.

Mal

**Jon** · 02-12-04

Working again now. Was going to a holding page - full screen sized message saying that online shopping was unavailable, please come back later.

I was trying to get some pressies myself and the site experienced an error. Tried to go back in via the link and got the holding message.

**Malcolm Cowley** · 02-12-04

Hi

Ok mate no probs - let me know if you see any further problems .

Sales are rocketing through - its going to be one hell of a day.

Cheers to those who have responded so fast in getting new links up

Mal

**Wardy** · 02-12-04

I noticed that the site wasn't workign earlier too. I then tried one of my links and it did, maybe we both tried at the same time and it was a quick blip.

Malc, wish I could see all these sales. Hopefully more by the end of the day, just the 1 so far.

Cheers
Wardy

**drivetowin** · 02-12-04

Seems very hit and miss on this one, I've checked my links a few times over the last five minutes - twice gone in straight away no problem - other four times couldnt get in at all - interestingly I've also tried going straight to www.marksandspencer.com direct 3 times and got in each time straight away - not sure if its anything to do with buyat link or just luck of the draw...

**drivetowin** · 02-12-04

Just checked again and they've got their online shopping is not available screen up again - not good since I've just sent a newsletter out to x thousand subscribers

**Frostie** · 02-12-04

I have only just seen the post about this 20% and was thinking - hmm 3pm... is it to late to add it??

Just checked out the site and getting the 'Busy Screen' so think I'll give it a miss.

- How come M&S haven't prepared for this - bandwidth terms?
- How come it was communicated to people by email? I appreciate it was last minute, but email gets everyone not just those that have time to read these boards 24hrs a day

To be honest, although its nice offer, looks like I would get more grief from my visitors, than I would comms

**Malcolm Cowley** · 02-12-04

Aye email might have been better with hindsight but we have lots of emails going out and overkill can be acheived - when it was so last minute we thought sending another email and adding to the overkill was worse than missing the post as a lot of people would never bother in such a short time scale anyway but plenty would have been on to us about getting their 4th email of the day

On the site stuff - nowt to do with us so hopefully M+S get it sorted if there are more issues.

Mal

**CompareStore** · 02-12-04

Thought I'd add a site wide promotion of this and it just goes to the holding page. Taking it off again now.

**drivetowin** · 02-12-04

Wonder if M&S will offer us any compensation for this - I know its hard to predict demand but this is just silly - not impressed at all

**sara@wheel** · 02-12-04

Hi All

The offer has been more success then anticipated (affiliates on buy.at have almost doubled their sales from the last time we ran the 20% off) , meaning that while a large increase in bandwidth and hardware capacity was implemented the sheer volume of people visiting the site means that sporadically the site is inaccessible.

From an affiliate point of view I think you should still go for it as the volume of sales & conversion rates mean its worth your while.

Cheers
Sara
-------------
sara.brook@wheel.co.uk
0207 348 1092

**Jon** · 02-12-04

" From an affiliate point of view I think you should still go for it "

Couldn't disagree more. By sending people to a mostly non-functioning site, all we are likely to achieve is to frustrate our users, who will be left with the nasty aftertaste of having missed out on a great deal.

**Rich** · 02-12-04

Originally posted by sara@wheel
a large increase in bandwidth and hardware capacity was implemented
...earlier...
M&S made a last minute decision last night to run the 20% off sale online

Pity they couldn't work that fast when the tracking had problems! Seriously, I've known about the 20% off in stores today for over a week, and it was promoted on TV last night, so it was a planned event. Even if it wasn't originally going to be online, it seems like they could have given more than 6hrs notice, and that would have made it perform even better.