DEMO is a place where a variety of companies, both new and those established, launch new products and services. One that caught our eye today was the private beta of Manilla, sponsored by Hearst Corporation. Hearst is a major publishing house and its new service signifies the company’s necessary shift toward digital services due to the dramatic changes the media industry has undergone in recent years. The team at Zumbox is excited about the launch of Manilla, as a testament to the white-hot market for digital services that ease and improve daily life for consumers.
According to a wide range of research, while over 70% of households make payments, purchase goods and do business on the Internet, only 5-15% actually turn off paper mail. When we ask consumers why, they say 1) they need the paper files for their records, 2) they need reminders to pay bills and take action and 3) they want all their bills in one place instead of scattered all over the Internet with 20+ different log-ins. Services like Zumbox and Manilla can help solve these problems for consumers.
Online delivery of bills, statements and other transactional mail cuts clutter, saves the environment by reducing paper waste and allows consumers to organize, manage and store mail forever – and even pay bills online from a single website. A digital mailbox helps people organize their lives easily, in less time. Zumbox has been answering these consumer needs since our launch in 2009. Since then, we’ve been working with key partners, including KUBRA and DST, to provide mail electronically, based on household street address. These two partners provide access to the mail of over 1,000 different companies who will be able to deliver their customers’ bills, notices, statements and other documents directly to them instantly through existing processes and technology.
The digital postal mail market is heating up. Companies are looking for ways to reduce mail costs, and consumers want a replacement for their bankers boxes and filing cabinets. The recognition of increasing demand for services that simplify daily life, by a major media company, validates the growing market. We welcome Hearst to the game.
