The basic rule of economy states that demand creates the supply. As long as governments and authorities argue on the fluid nature of Bitcoin, compare it to money surrogates, search for links with terrorism or simply evaluate far-fetched risks, big market players easily determine advantages of the virtual coin and try to make a use of them. While the attitude of Germany is one of the most complacent among the European countries, the online cosmetics retailer Parfuemerie.de introduces the digital currency as an alternative payment method for orders.
The changes were implemented during the first days of February. The pictogram of the Bitcoin can be observed on the page among traditional competitors – Visa, PayPal, local online payment systems. It is a privilege and a great way of advertising for the currency as the platform is the biggest German perfumery shop on the web. It features about 10000 items of worldwide recognized brands and manufacturers. After making this step the virtual store becomes the biggest venue to accept the coins. The experience collected by the German giant is not to be doubted as the business was launched 40 years ago and it still has around 20 physical presences in the country. Experts believe that a very interesting and logical following step would be the equipping of their stores with POS terminals to process the Bitcoin payments at the cashier’s desk. However, no comments on this opportunity were given by the representatives of the company.
The merchant appreciates Bitcoin and describes it as “very quick, simple and easy”. The processing of payments is organized by BitPay. The online vendor warns its Bitcoin customers: “You will be forwarded at the end of your ordering process to Bitpay.com and handle your payments directly“. The introduction of the virtual currency is seen as a very important decision of the company and it is willing to celebrate this occasion with a 12% discount on all items featured in the store. To receive this bonus the users have to enter the code “HappyBitcoin” during the checkout.
The decision of Parfuemerie.de shows that merchants are willing to use Bitcoin as the leading virtual currency of the world. Actually, no warnings and official issues, as long as there are any laws or rules prohibiting the circulation, can influence the market. The social interest and support of enthusiasts allowed to add to the creative district Kreuzberg in Berlin the fleur of technology – it hosts a remarkable amount of cafes, shops and stands accepting actively Bitcoin and promoting it in the bohemian circles.