“Green” DM service that offers physical mail opt-out launched
A new service that allows consumers to choose to receive DM by post or email has launched.
People signing up for the Green Preference Service will allow people to opt-out of receiving physical mail, instead setting up a “web box” to receive DM electronically.
Direct marketers pay to use the service to check the channel customers prefer to receive information. If email, brands can send a message to their web box.
The service was setup by a group of DM industry veterans led by former Emailvision executive Paul Anderson. The founders, who expect to signup two million subscribers within two years, claim the service will produce better targeted campaigns and reduce costs for companies currently sending unwanted DM.
It is also hoped the service will help reduce the amount of CO2 produced from unsolicited physical direct mail.
It is hoped that customers will choose to switch 1.5 billion pieces of mail through the service each year.
The DMA has offered its backing. Executive director Chris Combermale says the association supports any initiative that “improves targeting and reduces waste”.
He adds: “This new service is designed to give consumers more choice in how companies communicate to them while at the same it helps companies reduce costs and lower CO2 emissions. This appears to be a win-win scenario for both business and consumers.”
The service is the latest to offer customers the chance to control what and when they receive DM. Former Capital One direct marketer Justin Basini launched Allow, a service that offered consumers a platform to choose which brands got hold of their data, launched last year.
