UKNM: will freeserve last?

[Epub]

>The Freeserve phenomenon cannot last, simply because so many big name

>brands have got into the same game.  


Whether Freeserve will or will not last, will be down to their customer

service strategy. 


What services will they provide to their subscribers?

What content will they offer?

Who will they partner with?


For the foreseeable future BT will have the strongest hook to pull

customers away with their 0800 access @ weekends

( for a small monthly fee) and i cannot imagine them offering 0800 access

during the week as too many business will take up the offer. The 0800

access is aimed at the home user to encourage ecommerce.


I have been online since 1994 and i am sure that today's users want the

same as me - reliable internet service, good offering of online services

and good content. 


as a provider, freeserve are reliable (apart from a few hiccups) provide a

good portal page and their information is credible.


if they continue to offer a good service i am sure they will retain a good

core of users. neither Barclays or whsmith appeal to me and i don't see

either of them handing out free CDROM's at Liverpool St Station or offering

free demonstrations. Not that location matters but freeserve seem to be

running a large campaign - and that's what attracts customers. [and thats'

what's important]



Marc Walker

Electronic Publishing Consultant 

TSO




----------

From: Sanjay Mazumder <

sanjay-mazumdercredo-group [dot] com

>

To:

uk-netmarketingchinwag [dot] com

Subject: RE: UKNM: Free ISP business model

Date: 15 June 1999 15:58


The Freeserve phenomenon cannot last, simply because so many big name

brands have got into the same game.  Each consumer will only take one

'Free' ISP and since the likes of BT, WHSmiths, EB, Barclays, etc. etc.

etc. have got into the game, they will all take some of the new

customers, so Freeserve can never grow as quickly as it did originally.


Also, the smart internet user is shifting away from Freeserve as their

home page.  Everyone I know who uses Freeserve, has switched their home

page to Yahoo, Excite or something else.


Sanjay

sanjay-mazumdercredo-group [dot] com

Tel.		+44 171 549 4949

Fax		+44 171 549 4950

Mob.	+44 7803 123 520

http://www.credo-group.com


> -----Original Message-----

>

From: Edward Bownass [SMTP:edwardglobalgold [dot] co [dot] uk]

> Sent:	15 June 1999 14:22

>

To: uk-netmarketingchinwag [dot] com

> Subject:	UKNM: Free ISP business model

> 

> Dear all,

> 

> I just wanted to see what peoples views are on the free ISP model, and

> how

> it will change over the coming months/year.

> 

> My personal view is that many of the free ISP's will disappear, just

> as many

> of the fee paid ISP's disappeared 3 or 4 years ago. Secondly, I think

> there

> will be a big shift once we get affordable unmetered services. (eg.

> �30 quid

> a month or so). I know NTL are already implementing a �30 a month

> always on

> service using cable modems and it's also rumoured that BT are

> releasing an

> ADSL product after it's recent trial in London.

> 

> Do people think that freeserve will fall flat, or will it continue to

> grow?

> I've noticed recently that freeserve has been advertising extensively

> in the

> Midland's recently, on radio and buses particularly. One theory of

> this is

> that they've saturated their original marketing channel (i.e. throwing

> CD's

> at people in Dixons).

> 

> Yours,

> ---

> Edward Bownass - Technical Director

> Global Gold Holdings Ltd.

>

email: edwardglobalgold [dot] co [dot] uk

> phone: 0121 321 1601

> fax: 0870 164 0730

> web: http://www.globalgold.co.uk/ 


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