Zipinmail’s Unique Approach: Connecting Consumers with Businesses through Digital Mailboxes

Imagine having the ability to combine the efficiency of email with the reach of traditional mail services, such as the U.S. Postal Service.

Welcome to Zipinmail.com. 

“Our platform is designed like email, looks like email, functions like email,” said Zipinmail Founder and CEO Vijay Chetty. “You can type anything you want in the subject line, in the body of Zipinmail, you can attach any file you want. Everything is just like an email, except that, instead of a one-line email address, you will be able to type the full brick-and-mortar mailing address of the recipient. And Zipinmail will be delivered to the virtual mailbox of the recipient for that same mailing address. 

“We have effectively created a virtual mailbox—if you can imagine your physical mailbox in the cloud—and created a platform to transmit data from one virtual mailbox to another using that same mailing address. That’s the vision, the technology we have created.”

Zipinmail has created a digital mail delivery service; the platform drastically reduces the use of paper; and it functions off a mailing address—street, number, state, province, country—while email is for an individual. 

And this is critical for businesses reaching out to potential customers. 

“Your mailing address provides all kinds of demographic data about the people living at that address, or working in that address—their age, their income,” Vijay said. 

“Is it single-family, multifamily, who is married, single, are there children, what is the household income? There is all kinds of demographic data that is already available in the public domain. And that’s the information used by the marketers and businesses to target their audience. That is why the mail you receive at home is not the same as your neighbor. They will get completely different kinds of mail based on their demographics. So it’s highly targeted. An email does not provide any such demographic data. And from your email, we don’t even know your real name, age, income, where you live—none of the demographic data is available. So businesses are unable to target their audience based on an email address.” 

The U.S. Postal Service attempted to digitize mail, but abandoned the effort, according to Vijay. 

Zipinmail, on the other hand, is pioneering this space. The startup has a global patent for the technology it devised, completed its MVP and has started customer trials in four Los Angeles area markets—Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Torrance.

“The technology is very powerful,” Vijay said. “It’s unique. We built it and we are the first to market. We came up with the vision.” 

Zipinmail offers B2B and B2C solutions. 

For consumers, the platform is working to reach those looking for a deal, those who will be enticed by a coupon or discount. Businesses on the other end of that equation can harness the demographic information available for a particular address in the public domain. 

The meeting between the two could revolve around, of all things, a roof. 

Utilizing Google Maps, a roofing company could identify a house that needs a new roof. That company could then reach out to the homeowner, through Zipinmail, and offer a discount or free estimate. But none of this could transpire through email. 

A similar scenario could unfold around a crumbling driveway or yard that needs landscaping. 

“Our research shows that 52% of consumers will not buy a product or service unless it is on sale, they have a deal or they have a coupon for it,” Vijay said. “So that’s half the population that is highly motivated in buying a product or service based on some form of a discount or deal. That’s our target market in phase one.”

At the same time, Zipinmail is approaching businesses that offer discounts and coupons, like the roofing, driveway or landscaping operations. 

“In the local businesses, there are a whole bunch of verticals that deliver these kinds of messages, such as food, home improvement, auto, retail, eCommerce, medical services, professional services, all kinds of businesses that are constantly communicating to the local business consumers about what’s on sale,” Vijay said. “We’re targeting those businesses and targeting consumers in those local communities to build and prove the business model.”

Digital marketing is also a key component of the Zipinmail operation, with Facebook, Instagram, Next Door and Google ads targeting specific consumer segments. 

Preliminary study data revealed a 4.14% click-through-rate for Zipinmail marketing content, which Vijay said is higher than the industry average.

“We had a fantastic response from consumers,” he said. “So we know we will get them to sign up.”

For now, though, the focus is on building content for the platform.

“Step one is, I have to get more content on our platform,” Vijay said. “So that’s why we started with the businesses, to get these local businesses to sign up, deliver their coupons, their messages, their marketing, clearance items, whatever they want, into the platform.”

He added, “About the technology, I can tell you, we are the first with such a revolutionary idea, to digitize the paper mail industry. There’s nothing in the market similar to what we have.” 

Visit zipinmail.com to learn more.