Return Path Adds Seven Channel Partners for its Industry Leading Email Change-of-Address and PureList Services

Business Wire, May 7, 2001

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2001

-- Responsys, Innovyx RappDigital, and Merkle Direct Marketing

among the leading direct and interactive marketing firms to offer

the Return Path services--

Return Path, Inc., the leading provider of email list optimization services, today announced the addition of seven channel partners that will offer the Return Path Email Change-of-Address (ECOA) and PureList services to their new and existing customers.

Responsys, Innovyx RappDigital, Merkle Direct Marketing, Response Media, Carney Direct Marketing, Vision Marketing and Donna LeVine Associates, Inc. join seven existing Return Path partners. Present partners include DoubleClick, Abacus, Donnelley Marketing, Millard Interactive, EMS, Salesmation, and Expression Engines.

"The key to our growth strategy is aligning with leading-edge firms that span both traditional and interactive marketing disciplines," said Matt Blumberg, CEO of Return Path. "The organizations we've partnered with are representative of this, and will continue our aggressive growth. With more than 40 companies and 90 million email addresses already committed to our ECOA Network, we're positioned to rapidly deliver results to our partners, their clients, and consumers."

The Return Path ECOA Service lets consumers conveniently manage email address changes, thereby helping businesses to update their email lists and filling a void in the current email landscape. A recent survey conducted by NFO Research indicates that 32% of consumers change their email address each year. However, consumers currently notify a small percentage of commercial contacts of these changes, costing marketers billions of dollars each year in wasted marketing costs, re-acquisition costs, and opportunity costs from lost client relationships.

"As more Fortune 1000 clients adopt email as a primary customer communications vehicle, the problem of email address churn will become acute," said David Townsend, CEO of Innovyx. "Email Change-of-Address solutions, such as Return Path's, will play a key role in our clients' ability to maintain an effective dialogue with their customers."

Return Path's ECOA Network facilitates permission-based notification of email address changes between consumers and businesses. A simple, one-time integration enables companies to capture email address changes reported by their customers and report those changes to Return Path. Return Path authenticates the old and new email address with the consumer by email, and enables the consumer to identify other firms within the Return Path network with whom they have a registered address. With the consumer's permission, Return Path then automatically updates the approved companies of the email address change.

"Return Path's attention to consumer privacy and security demonstrates their clear understanding of the new terrain of email and interactive marketing," said David Williams, CEO of Merkle Direct Marketing. "Our clients require this sensitivity to ensure rapid consumer adoption of the service."

The Return Path ECOA service features a real-time, look-up function that enables consumers to identify with which companies they've registered an email address, allows them to manage multiple email addresses from a single account, and also includes security features that eliminate the risk of identity theft. Additionally, businesses can receive permission-based email address updates from consumers in real-time before delivery failure occurs, eliminating the risk of lost sales opportunities.

"We offer our clients best-of-breed services," said George Wiedemann, president and CEO of Responsys. "By partnering with Return Path, our product Responsys Acquire can now address the growing problem of email address changes."

Return Path's PureList analyzes a company's email list, including a history of bounce responses, and categorizes undeliverable email into actionable segments, correcting address format and syntax errors where identified.

About Return Path, Inc.

Return Path provides businesses a total solution to improve email list integrity, through their Email Change-of-Address Network and a suite of email list optimization services, called PureList. The Return Path Email Change-of-Address Network provides a convenient, permission-based clearinghouse that enables consumers to notify their contacts, including businesses they patronize, about changes to their email address. Return Path helps businesses reduce undeliverable email, recapture lost customers, and extend budgets dedicated to commercial email. For consumers, Return Path provides the most convenient, private, and secure method of notifying personal and commercial contacts regarding email address changes. Return Path PureList uses advanced business intelligence to analyze a company's email list and identify undeliverable email addresses for removal or correction. Return Path investors include DoubleClick (Nasdaq: DCLK) and Flatiron Partners/JP Morgan Partners. For more information visit www.returnpath.net or email info@returnpath.net.