One of the biggest online retailers Amazon has launched its own currency this year. New virtual currency is called Amazon Coins and it is now available for users in UK.
Previously Amazon has launched its own virtual currency in the US. This week Amazon is giving all UK Kindle Fire owners £4 or 400 coins for free. Developers promised that all customers will receive a 10% discount on items bought using Amazon Coins.
New virtual currency allows customers to pay for applications and games for their own tablet computers Kindle Fire, as also for the other in-app items on the Amazon. Now customers can choose whether to pay for goods as usual by credit card or with new Coins.
The main aims of the Amazon company is to attract new audiences and increase the interest of customers to digital goods. In addition, the virtual currency fits into the strategy of Amazon to create an alternative mobile ecosystem to compete with Google.
Today Apple, Google and Amazon are fighting hard to involve new consumers to their platforms and devices. This step of virtual currency launching taken by Amazon may attract new users. As for now the number of active Amazon users is about 200 million people. But also it may increase the interest of existing customers who prefer to buy physical rather than digital products.
Using Coins as a payment is also a way for parents to control the amount of money their children spend online. "A separate virtual account for the child with the possibility of a monthly replenishment will welcome many technologically - advanced parents", said the expert NBC News Digital Davin Koldvi.