Swedish Post Launches Online Permission Marketing Channel

Swedish Post has launched BonusMail, an online permission marketing channel giving customers the option of earning points for accepting merchandise or services.

BonusMail, licensed from MyPoints.com in USA, rewards users for responding to personalized advertising campaigns.

The user decides what type of advertising will be received. For example, a customer interested in clothing and travelling will only be sent advertising and information within this area, says Anna Soderblom, director of Posten Brev (Swedish Post).

Customers receive bonus points by responding yes or no to offers. After collecting a certain number of points, participants can swap these points for merchandise or services offered by the advertising companies. However, the points can’t be used for cash refunds.

The Swedish Post believes the channel complements the physical mail services which the Post offers corporate customers. The service resembles the Post’s direct mail, but the new channel operates solely through the Internet and via e-mail.

The Swedish Post hopes to sign on 100,000 people for this service after the first year and 250,000 after three years. While these numbers are high, many feel the marketing power of this government-owned operation will carry it through the goal.

The Swedish market is starting to understand that there are more one-to-one advertising possibilities to appeal to different groups of users. The click rates are higher on adopted and e-mail based advertising compared to banners.

FL-netforetaget’s Mailbox pioneered Sweden’s first venture into online personal information registration. After one year in the market, Mailbox lists over 20,000 users in its database. Each user registers for an average of six categories.

Swedish Post is one of the main players on the Scandinavian Net market and is known for its portal, Torget.