Consumers will be able to download the free application from pricerunner.co.uk or by sending a text to a shortcode, where the application will be sent back to the user; only standard data roaming charges. Users will see a full colour mini-version of PriceRunner.co.uk with full functionality to compare prices.

The service will launch in early quarter two and will be the first to market for a price comparison website.

Carl White, Chief Executive Officer of ValueClick Europe said

“By working with Picsel, ValueClick has realised our aim of delivering the world’s first free, mobile price comparison service. Picsel’s mobile platform is the best we have seen and our service can now be delivered to almost every major wireless device.

For the first time, consumers will be empowered to make purchasing decisions on-the-go whilst shopping on the high street. The alliance with Picsel represents tremendous scope for all the ValueClick businesses – not just for PriceRunner but for our other companies that focus on driving revenue for brands through digital advertising.”

Imran Khand, Chief Executive Officer of Picsel Technologies said

“Picsel is all about bringing mobile content to life. Our core philosophy is to drive innovation and empower people to change the way they work, live, play and share information. PriceRunner shares this vision, and together we are taking the first step to deliver purchasing freedom to consumers through their mobile devices.”

Gary Goodman, Marketing Director for ValueClick Europe has been given responsibility for developing ValueClick’s mobile strategy.

French Prices Snowball
The exclusive study of 30 ski resorts in 10 European countries by www.PriceRunner.co.uk, the price comparison website, reveals France as the most expensive ski destination. Skiers could save over £2,500 by avoiding Courchevel and heading for Bankso in Bulgaria, the “best developed ski resort in Eastern Europe” according to the 2007 Great Skiing & Snowboarding Guide.

The PriceRunner.co.uk ski-comparison report reveals:

• The average price of a skiing holiday in Europe for a family of four is £1,982
• A typical family ski holiday in France costs over £3,800 compared with just £1,073 in Bulgaria, the cheapest country in the study
• Switzerland – the Royal Family’s location of choice – is surprisingly cheap compared to France at £2,185 while Germany is the fourth cheapest country overall at £1,612
• The cheapest resort for kids is Zelena Rhuda in Czech Republic and the most expensive is Val D’Isere
• The most expensive resort for an adult ski pass is Val D’Isere at £132 and the cheapest is Zelena Rhuda at £50
• Snowboarders should head for Slovenia, the cheapest destination for snowboard rental at £43. The most expensive is Kitzbuhel, Austria at £110

Let it Snow
After a slow start to the season, Europe’s ski resorts have seen snow fall over the past few weeks and more in forecast. Some of the best conditions can be found in the resorts of Verbier and Zermatt in Switzerland, halfway down the price table. Temperatures in pricey France have been very mild, resulting in slushy slopes while in super-cheap Bulgaria more snow and low temperatures are forecast, which should lead to perfect conditions.

Ski with the Stars
Trendy Courchevel is the favourite ski resort of the stars with Posh & Becks, Ewan McGregor and Lionel Ritchie all going there to ski, pose and drink the £3.30 vin chaud. Heather Mills, recently spotted on the slopes of super-cheap Slovenia, could have quaffed nearly five glasses there for the same price.

Betony Garner, spokesperson of the Ski Club of Great Britain, comments:

“Whereas skiing has traditionally been seen as an expensive, middle-class pursuit it is becoming more accessible to people with a tighter budget due to cheaper flights, increased competition and the development of new, more affordable resorts.”

Party on the Piste
For après ski, Norway is by far Europe’s most expensive country. A beer costs over £4 and a basic lunch costs over £12. Countries to hit for a party on the piste include Italy, where a beer costs under £1 and Germany at £1.35, a third of the price of Norway. The cheapest country for lunch is Slovenia at just £4.27.

Mattias Berg, UK Country Manager from PriceRunner.co.uk explains why it is important to explore your options before choosing your skiing holiday:

“The prices of ski holidays differ greatly, but it is wrong to assume that the most expensive resorts are always the best. If you are flexible in terms of resorts and countries, you can have a truly great skiing holiday on the cheap.

Make sure the resort offers the range and level of skiing you are interested in, and especially at the moment, check the likelihood of snow. Putting in the time to research resorts before booking is well worth your while, to have some really good skiing conditions and great holiday after the slopes have closed.”

Prices for food and drink for a family of four including lunch and drinks on
the mountain, beer and vin chaud for a week:

Prices for ski hire and ski passes for a family of four for a week:

Country	Price
France	£719
Austria	£629
Norway	£588
Sweden	£563
Italy	£553
Germany	£513
Slovenia	£477
Bulgaria	£446
Switzerland	£440
Czech Republic	£369

For further information please contact Pete Murphy, Nicola Parker.

Price comparison site PriceRunner.co.uk monitored activity in all product categories by its monthly user base of approximately 1.7million(1), over an 11 day period as well as pricing levels in key, popular areas like LCD TVs and digital cameras.

Christmas Sale winners
Close scrutiny of consumer trends before and after Christmas in the seven shopping days leading up to Christmas, and compared them to user data during the four days including and after 25th December(2). It found that:

• Searches for white goods increased the most post Christmas, compared to the period leading up to the big day, with increases for searches for tumble dryers of 115%, and dishwashers and vacuum cleaners both up by 89%.
• Accessories were the most consistent purchases for users, with consumers looking to buy computer hard drives (109%), video game console accessories (28%), kitchen accessories (29%) and camcorder accessories (20%).
• Digital SLR cameras were the most popular products users were interested in buying – searches increased 145% from Christmas morning onwards.

And the losers……
The biggest decrease in searches were for laptop computers (-93%), and unusually, golf balls (-67%), hair stylers (-63%) and sandwich toasters (-57%) all became unpopular, whilst products like mini-disc players and cassette decks proved they are being consigned to technology history, with declines of 74% and 73% respectively.

Online shops discount up to 50%
There were some serious bargains to be found online, with white goods, TVs and digital cameras seeing the best reductions(3), including this selection:

• the price of a Goodmans GDVD70W6 DVD player from Argos was slashed £169.99 to £79.99 – a huge saving of over 52%
• a Hoover HNL7146 washing machine from Currys was reduced from £329.95 to £189 – a saving of 43%
• an Olympus Mju Digital 700 Blue from Amazon.co.uk was reduced from £229.99 to £139 – saving 40%
• a Sharp LC-32GD7E LCD TV from Harrods online was £1795, down to £1195, a saving of 33% and
• a Kenwood KCD1W White tumble dryer from Dixons and Currys was £319.95, on sale at £219.95, saving 31%.

Carl White, Chief Executive Officer of PriceRunner Europe, said

“Wednesday (27th December) was our second busiest day in December, and our busiest after Christmas, which shows that people have been waiting for the post-Christmas bargains. We can also see that yesterday our users were interested in comparing and ordering more products per person – a sign that Brits still have cash to spend.

Ahead of what could be the biggest and busiest shopping weekend this year, consumers can avoid the hellish scenes we saw at shopping centres in the last couple of days – avoiding car parking queues and scuffles outside stores – by comparing prices and saving even more time and money online.”

Additional information:

The top ten most searched for categories on PriceRunner post-Christmas were:

1. Digital SLR cameras – up 145%
2. Tumble dryers – up 115%
3. External computer hard drives – up 109%
4. Furniture – up 94%
5. Vacuum cleaners – up 89%
6. Dishwashers – up 88%
7. Media centres – up 76%
8. Freezers – up 75%
9. PC monitors – up 74%
10. MP3 players – up 68%

The top ten least searched for items were:

1. Laptop computers – down 93%
2. Desktop computers – down 88%
3. Games console bundles – down 81%
4. Mini-disk players – down 74%
5. Cassette decks – down 73%
6. Spas and saunas – down 72%
7. Golf balls – down 67%
8. Hair stylers – down 63%
9. Printer accessories – down 60%
10. Office software – down 58%