NetCreations Pools E-Mail Lists for Opt-In Alliance

Opt-in email marketer NetCreations plans to cross-pollinate the opt-in email lists of its clients by creating a system where consumers that opt in to receive information at one client site could also give permission to be contacted by the other client sites.

“As e-commerce becomes an increasingly important revenue source for just about every site on the Web, email lists of targeted and qualified prospects have become an essential tool for delivering online buyers,” says Rosalind Resnick, president of NetCreations. “NetCreations is pleased to offer Internet marketers the ability to mail to each other’s lists to reach more than six million prospective online shoppers in a way that respects consumer privacy and choice.”

The arrangement, announced late Monday, would allow the 200 sites whose email lists NetCreations manages to mail to each other’s lists, thereby driving new traffic to their sites. For each email address that the site contributes to the opt-in alliance, it would gain access to two addresses contributed by others in the alliance.

Such a deal could raise concerns among privacy advocates, but NetCreations is careful to say that it will protect consumers’ information. The shared email addresses must be of people who have specifically asked to receive email messages about products and services of interest and who have voluntarily contributed information about themselves and their online purchases. NetCreations says no other data will be added to the consumers’ profiles.

The opt-in alliance is expected to launch in January. Pricing hasn’t yet been determined.