 Overstock.com Capitulates to "Certified Email" Agenda | |
There are a number of lively threads at VodaTalk about the deceptive, dictatorial, and "politicized" agenda begun by AOL and picked up by Yahoo! and MSN to create tiers of customers and new classes of access with regard to the freedom to send email with the likelihood of it being actually received. This is the first report of a major recognized (online) business that has enagaged in such programs, and which may prove to be the "Beta" to see if the agenda maintains viability or credibility......
Overstock.com puts certified e-mail to the test
Early this year Overstock.com Inc. researched new certified e-mail technology that ensures—through a strict process of certification of retailers—delivery and intact content and formatting of retailers’ e-mail messages to recipients. In a test to customers with AOL addresses conducted June 9 and 10, the company found that e-mail messages sent via Goodmail Systems Inc.’s CertifiedEmail service generated 22% higher revenue per e-mail compared with non-certified e-mails.
The e-retailer split its list of customers with addresses on AOL—which agreed to begin accepting the Goodmail service earlier this year—and sent all customers marketing e-mails for six different campaigns: half received certified e-mails and half received conventional e-mails. In addition to the 22% direct sales increase, Overstock registered a 19% jump in click-through rates.
Certified e-mail messages have generated significant positive return on investment; as a result, Overstock will continue using the service, the company says.
“The increase in sales generated per e-mail makes the ROI of certified e-mail compelling,” says Geoff Atkinson, director of e-mail and web site marketing at Overstock.com, which hit $804 million in sales in 2005, a 62.5% increase over $494.6 million in 2004. “Plus, authenticated certified e-mail messages also provide security benefits for our customers.”
The success of initial certified e-mail efforts is not surprising, contends David Daniels, who specializes in e-mail issues in his role as vice president and research director at JupiterResearch.
“Overstock’s results are impressive, actually a bit more than I would have expected. It shows that trust and complete image-rendering stand out in a user’s inbox,” Daniels says. “Time magazine recently did the very same test and realized similar improvements in click-through rates.”
Certified e-mail makes e-mail marketing more transparent, which is a good thing, Daniels adds. “The industry wants consumer trust back in e-mail and everyone wants to hold senders accountable. Certified e-mail seems to be an easy way to accomplish these goals.”
- Internet Retailer (September 2006) | 
09-14-2006, 07:13 PM
