AN ADVERTISING campaign featuring entrepreneur Peter Jones, of TV show Dragon’s Den, has given a lift to visitor numbers at Chester-based price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com

The group said it had enjoyed a robust third quarter – covering the three months to September 30 – as internet revenues rose about 15% on the first half, although this was down 15% on the same period in 2008.

The marketing push featuring Mr Jones and a shopping trolley meant visitor numbers were up on the same period last year and against the second quarter, Moneysupermarket said in a trading update.

The rise in traffic helped revenues from its insurance website improve 5% on last year, but sales in the Money field were 40% lower, due to significantly worse conditions in the credit market.

Trading has gradually improved throughout the course of the year, with Money revenues around 10% higher on the first half.

Savings was the strongest performer, as consumers looked to maximise their returns in a low interest environment and as lenders sought to strengthen their balance sheets through consumer deposits.

Unsecured lending, including credit card revenues, improved in the third quarter, with the rate of decline slowing from the first half.

Revenues in the travel section were 12% down on a year earlier and 5% lower than the first half.

The company said trends were in line with the first six months of the year, with interest in weekend break travel, including flights and hotels, remaining weak.

In home services, revenues picked up 30% on the first half as a result of higher utility switching volumes, driven by the number of consumers who switched suppliers last year and had come off fixed-price deals.

The company said the third quarter had been its strongest trading quarter this year, as trading levels continued to stabilise.

Chief executive Peter Plumb said: “Moneysupermarket.com has made steady progress through the year and we have enjoyed a robust third quarter – our strongest trading quarter to date. Our efforts to ensure our marketing spend works harder has started to bring real results, and the Peter Jones campaign has worked well, with visitor numbers up both on the same period last year and against the second quarter. Most importantly, our brand is in a stronger position than ever before.

“Our focus on managing costs this year has paid off, and we are starting to see the benefits of our ongoing investment in technology.”