Wilmington, Delaware Video Store To Take on Netflix in Online DVD Rental Business
Online, October 26, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Local Wilmington, Delaware video store Video Advantage is going national with the public launch of CheapFLIX.com effective immediately.
Founded as a brick and mortar video store in Wilmington, Delaware in 1990, Video Advantage is one of the few remaining independent video stores in the state. Now with the launch of CheapFLIX.com, the company hopes that the website will appeal to customers not yet served by Netflix and Blockbuster Online. "We started a small store-based rental website back in 2004 mostly as a convenience to our customers that didn't have time to come into the store like they used to" said Video Advantage President David Ragan. "Before we knew it, we were shipping DVDs to customers as far away as California and Washington."
As the number of online rental customers increased, so did the demands of customers for a more feature-driven website. "We began the process of building a next-generation rental website back in 2007, and customer feedback is really what has created CheapFLIX.com into the site it has become. We are excited to begin this next chapter, and completing a successful transition from a simple rental website to a consumer-driven entertainment community" , said Ragan.
The online rental market is dominated by Netflix, which grew 20% in the first half of 2009 as documented in the company's mid-year earnings report. According to Ragan, this is a great opportunity for CheapFLIX.com. "Netflix has set the standard of selection and service that all online rental companies should be measured by. Our goal is not to replace Netflix, but to appeal to customers not currently renting online through our interactive website and unique selection that is not available with Netflix or other national services. At the same time,we want to build a strong community of movie enthusiasts whose input is not only valued but relied on."
CheapFLIX.com allows members to rate and blog about movies, and create video reviews that can be viewed on the site through its YouTube interface. Additionally, CheapFLIX has some movies that anyone can watch directly on their PC for free...no membership required. Community memberships are free, and movie rental subscriptions start at just .99 cents with the "Movie of the Month Club". All 3-at-a-time rental subscriptions include both general release and optional after hours DVDs.
In celebration of its 20th year in business and the public launch of CheapFLIX, the company is offering a "Two for One - Double Your Fun" promotional subscription through November 30. Promotional subscribers will receive a free months subscription for each month that they purchase, with a limit of 6 free months. Program details are available at www.cheapflix.com/bogo using the promo code "20years".