South African professionals in the UK are flocking to a Web site that provides them with a support network for essential services.
Since going live last month, www.affinityplus.co.uk has had thousands of hits. The site was designed, developed and deployed in SA by Technology Concepts.
"South Africans generally arrive in the UK with a built-in handicap," says Jeremy Bossenger, GM of Affinity Plus. "It`s a mission to do anything quickly, opening a bank account with no UK credit history and getting insurance that accepts your South African insurance history and no claim bonus is a major frustration."
By pooling together the South African community`s collective bargaining power, Affinity Plus ensures South Africans get better deals when approaching UK companies for services and products.
"This really is the crux of the business because the collective bargaining power allows us to negotiate discounts with UK businesses," says Bossenger. "Banks are interested because they have key products out there that haven`t been marketed correctly with foreigners in mind. They are keen to get new members, so we enter into negotiations with them to tailor-make products for South Africans, which they will do if the client base is big enough."
The site also provides a meeting place for business and social interactions through its Business Network Directory, Social Circle, Classifieds and Events listing. Since its launch in October, most of its visitors have been looking at special flight offers, with insurance coming in at a close second.
"Everyone goes home for Christmas, so they`ve been enquiring about flights," says Bossenger. "Because we market companies to our members and build their brand, they offer us discount. If you are a member of Affinity Plus, you can go and make use of the special deals I have made with more than 60 companies, and that number is growing."
For a lb20 (around R260) annual fee, members receive a welcome pack, a membership card, and a special number to quote in order to receive special offers.
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