TigerDirect now accepts Bitcoin
Earlier this month, the online retail giant Overstock.com announced that they are accepting Bitcoin as a method of payment. This Thursday, TigerDirect revealed that they are now accepting Bitcoin as well. The US major electronics and computer parts retailer would be one of the largest businesses to accept Bitcoin thus far.
Since the announcement, there is a significant increase in sales, especially on mining related hardwares. “Every single video card has seen a more than 50 percent spike,” said Steven Leeds, TigerDirect’s director of corporate marketing. The other items that has seen massive sales increase were the power supply units, tablets and Xbox units. Leeds also revealed that there is a 30 percent increase in traffic to TigerDirect.com since then.
Leeds indicated that they are partnering with Bitpay to accept Bitcoin. The search has been on-going for 10-months before selecting the Georgia-based processor. This shows that TigerDirect not only listens to its community, but also take steps to implement what the community needs. “The community itself and our customers started asking us to look into it, and we had seen a rise in all the equipment that’s used for mining. So, it was a very logical step for us to start accepting it.”
Given that the company is always at the forefront of alternative online payment methods and with individuals building their own PC mining rigs for Litecoin, it’s a logical fit. When asked whether TigerDirect would accept more alternate crypto-currencies, namely Litecoin in the future, Leeds said that the company “wants to make it as easy as possible to shop” at their store. “We are a tech company and everybody in this office is a gamer, a DIYer, a tech nerd. We look to our employees on guidance on what we like to use and what we like to buy.”
It is also interesting to note that TigerDirect lists Butterfly Labs hardware as coming soon. For those that is into Bitcoin would know that Butterfly Labs is a major mining company that produces application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) machines for Bitcoin mining. Leeds hinted that the company is planning and will be the first retailer to carry products for certain notable mining company.
