giffgaff in more shops from 30 July

laura_oc

Hi everyone,

As people return to shops around the country, those of you going into an O2 shop may see something different. In the North West of England, we’re starting a trial of giffgaff presence in some O2 stores.

This will be a new entry point into the world of giffgaff for many people. When we launched over ten years ago, an online only network could be a hard sell. Now, people are much more familiar with managing their services online, and the challenge is more making sure people know about us, and weigh us against other options. A few years ago, we trialled having SIM cards in place in various different supermarkets and other retail locations, and lots of members have found giffgaff this way. Now, we’re expanding that a little to make sure we’re available in more places than before.

From 30 July 2020, when someone goes into an O2 shop looking for a new plan, and their needs might be met by giffgaff, the staff will recommend giffgaff as one of the options available to them. They’ll make sure they have a SIM card, for free, and if they want, the folks in store will make sure they are set up just as you would if you ordered a SIM from giffgaff.com. They’ll also make sure they know how to access support on the community and through the website.

We’re going to run this for a few months, measure how it goes, and see if it’s something that might work going forward. If you see anyone talking about their experiences with this trial, let us know - we want to be able to get as much information as we can about people’s experiences so we know what to do when the trial finishes.

Thanks folks - any questions, just shout.

Laura

PS - If you happen to be in the North West, we’d love to see what the giffgaffed parts of the shops look like - take a quick snap (we’re in the stores listed below) and post them here.

Barrow-in-Furness
Birkenhead
Blackburn
Blackpool
Bolton (Market Street)
Bury
Carlisle
Chester (Eastgate)
Lancaster
Liverpool (Church Street)
Liverpool (Liverpool One)
Liverpool (New Mersey)
Llandudno
Manchester (Arndale)
Manchester (Market Street)
Manchester (Trafford Centre)
Oldham
Preston
Rhyl
Southport
St Helens
Stockport
Warrington (Gemini)
Warrington (Golden Square)
Widnes
Wigan
Workington

bluemoonbaz

laura_oc
Nice way to push the giffgaff story to new members.
Will keep an eye out them

benjamin567

laura_oc This is great news, this should help spread the word of giffgaff a lot better because most people that aren’t the network haven’t even heard of it!

So unless someone wants a contract, O2 staff will hopefully recommend giffgaff as our prices are much cheaper for PAYG users.

Shame I don’t live in the North West 🙁

mrjeeves

laura_oc

Online only? Not anymore!

This is a really cool idea and a great way to push people to giffgaff.

Thank God it’s owned by Telefonica UK 😂

scottliddle25126585

laura_oc

Great news for giffgaff but not very great news for SR’s who work the shops and marketing stalls.

But if you snooze you lose 😁😁😁

Best regards,
Scott.

kathleen414

laura_oc t_will
Sounds like a sensible way to go , as not everyone is looking for contract and giving them the giffgaff option is perfect

ma2013

laura_oc
This is awesome! Nice one! I’m hoping to see them in Manchester, will feedback if I do. 🙂📱😁🤞🏽

formulaone

laura_oc

Wow!
Nice one giffgaff! Awesomeness! 😃

bernienatch

laura_oc it’s gonna be interesting to watch if the sales staff offer O2 or giffgaff 1st to any new Customers.

rosenzz

laura_oc

Whenever people visited an O2 shop and mention giffgaff they have always been treat like aliens and told O2 has "nothing to do with giffgaff and the signal is poor "etc etc

ameliagrande

laura_oc thanks for the update great to hear that 02 can do that hopefully we’ll have more people moving to our lovely giffgaff

kevincunno

Hi laura_oc That sounds great I hope it goes really well giffgaff rules👍

anth006

laura_oc Sounds like a reasonable initiative. I do wonder though that if people getting a sim in this way will be inclined to go back to an O2 shop should they later have a problem rather than seeking online help.

jcoxy46

laura_oc
I noticed that in Tesco, on the self service kiosks you can purchase a giffgaff top up voucher. Would usually use a 02 voucher

clikasarus

laura_oc
I will certainly Will take a photo as I live in the Northwest and if I go into the O2 shop and see anything I will take a snap 👍🏻

chaaaan

laura_oc Thanks for the update.

dtuxcomp

laura_oc Sounds like a great idea, I’ve read reports in the past of giffgaff members going into o2 shops to ask for help and not being treated very well so this is a huge step forward.

justeena1

laura_oc great news and thanks for sharing

micky6599

laura_oc Thanks for the update. This is a massive development

dennisbowen

laura_oc What a lovely news from giffgaff.

ryanchen6

laura_oc good for giffgaff business but bad news for super recruiter 😢

tangai

laura_oc ow! That is good to know

zealousbeloved123

laura_oc great news

luke198830

laura_oc so dose that mean if we have any problems with anything on our phone we can ask someone at a o2 store and if we want a new phone on giffgaff we buy it at a o2 store?

chand311

laura_oc that’s fantastic news, will create more opportunities for new customers!

ukrun

laura_oc Thank you for this update, much appreciated. 🙂

claire1uk

laura_oc

Things are fast changing and giffgaff must evolve if it is to be a serious network with all the competition from other providers.
Good luck 🤞😃

elli87

laura_oc Great news for giffgaff and members.

srilaks

laura_oc

🤣

Mixed feelings …….

How is this going to be useful???
The absense of true international calling sims are no more from O2, so giffgaff as an alternative???
or
May be staff available so using them with this extra work???

point missing is:
Companies who dependant on online sales/recharging by customers are saving a lot of expenses.
Corona hit the Physical stores very hard, (A stores maintaince is waste of resourse in some cases where they need a manager, staff, salaries, rents and incentives to drive sales)

A company which is depending on online sales doesnt needed these except independent/chain of retail stores with just some commission which can be changed at any time by just some clicks on the keyboard.
ex: 10 year old Lyca Mobile MVNO Spain sold for almost half a billion USD which is purely relies on online sales no stores, no unnecessary expenses, even corona had little impact on existing recharge behaviour of the customers as they rely on online.

may be True Super recruiters will be the losers for supporting giffgaff?
thanks.

stewarty19728572

laura_oc what about central Scotland

richybhoy36

laura_oc It gives people a chance to buy giffgaff products i shops ! But will the shop assistants know much about the giffgaff network ??.Richy

miche22542

laura_oc that’s brilliant news 👍🤗💛🌈

fabiyes

laura_oc this is a wonderful idea

ar_kitty

laura_oc cool

egglassa

laura_oc this is great news

orangeman33

laura_oc Great to see this happening. However bit disappointing to see it only in the North West. Is there a reason for this? I am guessing this is a bit of a trial?

kitty_r

laura_oc great news

various_mm

benjamin567 So unless someone wants a contract, O2 staff will hopefully recommend giffgaff as our prices are much cheaper for PAYG users.

giffgaff prices are not the cheapest for PAYG

persco

Thanks for the update. This is a massive development and a shift albeit early and small from online basis to a face to face one for everything giffgaff. I would guess staff will have to or be asked about all the days to day issues picked up by the community too.

I hope it goes well if it is about helping members but that the community is maintained as well as an option/alternate.

t_will

persco The way it’ll work in the trial is that everyone who gets a SIM from an O2 shop will be told about how to use the community and agents for help if they need it, beyond the setup that’s done in-store. If someone needs support they’ll still be coming to you lovely lot 🙂

bluemoonbaz

t_will If someone needs support they’ll still be coming to you lovely lot

Thats what we wanted to hear 😁

jaymailsays

The integration has begun then?

Many suspected the Virgin Media merger would lead to a blurring of branding and this seems a huge change in that direction. We are moving from giffgaff runs on O2, to giffgaff is promoted by O2!

Edit

t_will beyond the setup that’s done in-store

In which case there is no earthly reason why the O2 shop staff, cannot verify and remove, the adult content bar? (Just like EE shops do)

Or process the porting of numbers to giffgaff, endless potential for having a giffgaff phone delivered or returned to the O2 shop?

And how are costs worked out? Shop staff may take lengthy amounts of time activating a giffgaff sim, detracting from their regular O2 duties or will there be dedicated giffgaff staff?

So many questions.

[/Virgin Media to disappear from UK high street https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/may/28/virgin-media-to-disappear-from-uk-high-street-coronavirus]

scottliddle25126585

jaymailsays

Seems a great direction mate. But I wonder how much are giffgaff paying O2 for the placement and not to mention the advisory plans from O2. But I suppose we have been a business partner with them for along time and some benefits and reduction of payments to and from was always on the cards. It would be nice to know the numbers from giffgaff to O2 in terms of turnover and money made. But I suppose they must be good as we are still in business 😁😁😁

Scott.

t_will

scottliddle25126585 The group we’re targeting here are people who might not otherwise consider giffgaff - so hopefully there’s less overlap than you might think 🙂

jaymailsays In which case there is no earthly reason why the O2 shop staff, cannot verify and remove, the adult content bar? (Just like EE shops do)

Or process the porting of numbers to giffgaff, endless potential for having a giffgaff phone delivered or returned to the O2 shop?

Future potential for these maybe, but as of right now we’re just seeing if the SIMs being stocked and having it as an option for people is viable. Don’t worry about cost - O2 are on board, and happy with the arrangements we’ve worked out. Ultimately, what we all care about is making sure someone gets on the right plan for them, and if giffgaff works for them, as of tomorrow they’ll be able to get set up right then and there.

harrrrrry

scottliddle25126585 I wonder how much are giffgaff paying O2

giffgaff’s entire profits go to o2 (alias Telefonica UK) anyway. So any concept of giffgaff “paying for” any service that o2 provides (including the o2 network) only affects the cosmetic appearance of a profit on the giffgaff balance sheet.

jaymailsays

harrrrrry giffgaff’s entire profits go to o2 (alias Telefonica UK) anyway

Thats not strictly true, it can only pay Telefonica by way of a declared dividend and/or for invoiced services like they might do for O2 network services or for loan repayments or more likely as a loan advance. From an accounting perspective, it all gets messy and with Virgin Media joining the party, will their shareholders put up with the blurring of undefined servicing costs coming from giffgaff?

mrjeeves

harrrrrry jaymailsays

giffgaff can easily earn a profit, as they have been doing for several years now.

Although strangely enough, giffgaff decided to pay O2 a lot more in 2019 compared to 2018 despite having about the same number of members and earning about the same amount of revenue.

The £10 profit per member figure is kind of right, but most of the revenue ends up at O2, which makes that figure accurate.

a1antman

Hi @laura_oc ,

for this update, much appreciated. 🙂

While this may good news for some and only a trial for now, my main concern is that this will be the end of giffgaff as we know it (my personal opinion) 🙁

Yes I know and acknowledge that giffgaff has to move with the times and to survive.
The unique selling point for giffgaff is / was that it is /was an online network only, but as mrjeeves not anymore! 🙁

If the giffgaff sim card trial in O2 stores is successful, whats next giffgaff call centres? 💭 🤔

Now please don’t get me wrong I love giffgaff and I don’t see me leaving. 🙂

Anyway just my two pennies worth of input. 🙂

Kind Regards

a1antman 🙂

jaymailsays

mrjeeves Although strangely enough, giffgaff decided to pay O2 a lot more in 2019 compared to 2018 despite having about the same number of members and earning about the same amount of revenue.

The sale of the old Platform might have placated Telefonica temporarily, following huge Ofcom fines, member overcharging refunds, and extra Charity donations. All in all 2018/19 was not a favourable period for the Company and not a time they want repeated.

octopus16

mrjeeves

giffgaff used to throttle members’ data speeds - but since 2018 they’ve stopped. Could this be why they pay O2 more? 😄

harrrrrry

a1antman my main concern is that this will be the end of giffgaff as we know it

People have been saying every day for at least the last million years that the world will end tomorrow, but so far none of them have been correct.

Likewise, when

giffgaff had to abolish unlimited data
giffgaff started selling phones
giffgaff started advertising on buses and TV
giffgaff put sims in shops

… every time, somebody said it was the end of giffgaff as we know it.

The good thing is that even tomorrow, tomorrow will always be another day away. And the sun will probably come out tomorrow too.

jeff_elephant

I’m really curious to see how people react to giffgaff in O2 Stores and whether they receive a lot of traction. giffgaff is huge among students and digitally connected people, so it’ll be interesting to see how the ‘more regular’ consumers react to the low priced giffgaff offers!

a1antman

harrrrrry People have been saying every day for at least the last million years that the world will end tomorrow, but so far none of them have been correct.

Likewise, when
giffgaff had to abolish unlimited data
giffgaff started selling phones
giffgaff started advertising on buses and TV
giffgaff put sims in shops

… every time, somebody said it was the end of giffgaff as we know it.

The good thing is that even tomorrow, tomorrow will always be another day away. And the sun will probably come out tomorrow too.
harrrrrry

What I should have said in my OP was will this be the end of giffgaff’s uniqueness?
and as I also said (in my opinion)

Sorry if my post has upset anyone 🙁

Kind Regards

a1antman 🙂

jaymailsays

Be interesting to see which product the O2 shop recommends during the giffgaff trial.

Inclusive Roaming in 75 International destinations is an interesting offer.

i_am_sy

jaymailsays The sale of the old Platform might have placated Telefonica temporarily, following huge Ofcom fines, member overcharging refunds, and extra Charity donations. All in all 2018/19 was not a favourable period for the Company and not a time they want repeated.

I cannot make a single bit of sense out of what you said there.

Firstly giffgaff made more direct profit than any of its competition, and they will have helped O2 make a larger profit too, as not 100% of what giffgaff pays O2 is cost, O2 makes a profit on that. You can be certain giffgaff made a huge amount of money last year as was extremely successful.