Duncan Jennings - Q&A on the acquisition of eConversions by WhaleShark Media

Missed this mornings news? - VoucherCodes.co.uk & Parent Company Acquired by WhaleShark Media for $40m

Interview with Duncan Jennings, Managing Director of eConversions

Will the deal change day to day running of VoucherCodes.co.uk and your involvement (if at all)?

"Myself and the entire team are staying on board so there won't be any changes in the day to day running of VoucherCodes.co.uk. I had my first call from a friendly competitor at 8am who seemed a bit disappointed I wasn't disappearing into the sunset.

"It's going to be great to get back down to business as we have a stacks of great things to execute between now and the end of the year."

Why WhaleShark Media?

"WhaleShark Media shares our vision for delivering the very best offers to consumers and outstanding value to merchants. It felt like the right home for eConversions as we build together the biggest and best online voucher business in the world.

"They have a fantastic team and are great fun to work with so on a cultural level there was a real fit. With senior management having worked at some of the world's best internet companies including Google, eBay and Bankrate we expect knowledge sharing between the US and UK markets to make us both significantly better.

"Finally WhaleShark Media is backed by some of the world’s leading venture capitalists including Google Ventures, Austin Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners and Adams Street Partners giving us amazing support as we continue to grow the business."

Industry Reactions?

"It's been completely overwhelming. I've had hundreds of congratulatory emails and texts from people all over the industry. I've literally been in this industry since I left school and had forgotten just how many friends I'd made through it. Our merchant, network and agency partners have been brilliant and can see the potential already. A surprising number of our UK merchants have already got or are launching US sites so they are excited about the opportunities we can now offer them on retailmenot.com, the largest coupon site in America."

What's next for VoucherCodes.co.uk?

"The sun may be shining but we are hard at work thinking about Christmas right now as we want to make this Q4 bigger and better than ever before. We are also working on a new product which will allow us to leverage our huge online and email audience to drive footfall and sales on the high street. Mobile will be part of if but it's very much about starting transactions online by changing purchasing behaviour leading to truly incremental in-store sales."