SparkFun Electronics' Third Annual Free Day Event Draws More Than 32,000 Unique Website Visitors!

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 11, 2012, Boulder-based SparkFun Electronics (www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, opened up its website for "Free Day," an annual promotional event where SparkFun gave away $200,000 worth of credit for lucky recipients to use on its online retail website.

This year marked the third time SparkFun has held Free Day. SparkFun invited any individual to visit the SparkFun website and enter a reCaptcha image to see if they were one of 2,000 recipients of a $100 SparkFun credit.

The response for this year's Free Day was exceptional with approximately 6.5 million correct reCaptcha's entered during the one-day event. There was a total of 32,137 unique visitors to the website accounting for 704,617 page views. By the end of the day, 473 of the 2,000 promotional codes given away already had been used to place an order.

"This year, we had the goal of giving everyone an equal chance of winning by spreading out the odds throughout the day," said SparkFun Director of Marketing AnnDrea Boe. "We really felt we achieved that. It's exciting to know that there are a couple thousand people out there with $100 to help make their project ideas turn into reality."

To ensure complete randomness of the giveaway, the SparkFun IT department used a Geiger counter set-up to measure background radiation. Every time a radioactive particle was detected, a prize was released. If a user happened to submit a correct reCaptcha at that moment, they were awarded a credit.

For the first time ever, SparkFun also sent three teams across the country to capture video footage of customers participating in Free Day, which will be released later as a Free Day documentary.

For more information about the results of Free Day please visit: http://www.sparkfun.com/news/782.

About SparkFun Electronics

Founded in 2003, SparkFun shares its passion by providing parts, knowledge, and innovation for those looking to explore the world of embedded electronics. It helps anyone discover their inner inventor and enables individuals to create their own electronics projects.

SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs 130 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Find SparkFun on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/SparkFun), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SparkFun), Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/SparkFun), YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/SparkFun), Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/SparkFun), and Google+ (https://plus.google.com/106084846822083498483/posts)

Media Contact:
Jeremy Douglas
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760, ext. 16
[email protected]

SOURCE SparkFun Electronics