News & Press Releases

EmailLabs Helps PhotoChannel Clients Increase Revenues Via Email Marketing

Wal-Mart Canada’s Online Photo Services Continue to Thrive with Email Campaign

MENLO PARK, Calif. (Apr. 27, 2005) - EmailLabs (www.emaillabs.com), the leading Web services provider in the email marketing space, today announced that PhotoChannel Networks (www.photochannel.com), a leading digital imaging technology provider, is using EmailLabs to provide a full service email marketing solution to its brand-name clients, including Wal-Mart Canada and Blacks Photo Corporation.

After an exhaustive search for the right email platform provider, EmailLabs emerged as the clear choice for PhotoChannel based on its comprehensive reporting tools and campaign-management features. In addition, EmailLabs’ API (Application Programming Interface) affords PhotoChannel the ability to scale by having customer data automatically loaded into an email marketing program as its customers’ membership base continues to grow. Since implementing the EmailLabs platform PhotoChannel has consistently seen click-through and conversion rates exceed expectations, while unsubscribe ratios have decreased.

“With the world’s largest retailers, including PhotoChannel customers such as Wal-Mart Canada, realizing the power of email marketing, it was imperative for PhotoChannel to develop a robust program around the marketing channel to deliver the services the retailers require,” said Kyle Hall, PhotoChannel Networks’ EVP of business development. “The successes we’ve achieved with the EmailLabs platform has helped us gain more marketing and professional service contracts while at the same time increasing the overall revenue derived by our retail customers.”

Wal-Mart Canada - Snapping Ahead in Photo Services

Founded in March 1994, Wal-Mart Canada (www.walmartcanada.ca) has 256 stores and employs more than 70,000 Canadians from coast to coast. Selected as the sole provider for Wal-Mart Canada’s online photo services, PhotoChannel allows consumers to upload and crop photos, choose printing options and assign store location for pick-up and payment.

The companies worked together to create an e-newsletter that consumers can sign up for to receive notifications regarding printing and pricing options, gift ideas and updates on new services offered by Wal-Mart. Powered by EmailLabs’ platform, PhotoChannel sends out thousands of emails to its Wal-Mart Canada client base on a bi-weekly basis, increasing the frequency during the holidays. By giving customers greater access to the products and services Wal-Mart offers online, the campaign has been successful in boosting sales, especially the sales of photo gift items.

“With digital cameras flooding the market, Wal-Mart Canada has been in the process of developing new service offerings to respond to our customers needs,” said Tony Hugens, business development for Wal-Mart Canada PhotoCentre On-Line. “Our online photo services have been a success since day one based on macro level measurement such as the quantity and size of orders we receive. Now with our personalized email marketing program through PhotoChannel, we are able to measure success on the micro level of individual products and services that we are able to highlight using the service. The end result is that the online photo department is doing exceptionally well.”

“There are many companies in a similar position as Wal-Mart Canada who are looking to translate the success of offline services to the online channel,” said Dave Sousa, CEO of EmailLabs. “By working closely with companies like PhotoChannel to deliver innovative and successful campaigns, EmailLabs is helping build online brand awareness and foster return business.”

About PhotoChannel

Founded in 1995, PhotoChannel has created and manages the open standard PhotoChannel Network environment. The PhotoChannel system is currently utilized by major photofinishing retailers and wireless carriers to provide their consumers with online image printing and picture messaging services. There are more than 8,000 retail locations worldwide accepting print orders from the PhotoChannel system. For more information on the company visit: www.photochannel.com.

About EmailLabs
EmailLabs is a leading provider of high-performance email marketing solutions to agencies, publishers and marketing departments of middle-market and Global 2000 companies. The EmailLabs email marketing platform is provided as an ASP (Web-based) service, and is easily integrated with a company's Web site, sales force automation and CRM technologies through EmailLabs' application programming interface (API). For the fourth consecutive year, EmailLabs has been recognized by ASPnews.com as one of the Top 50 ASPs worldwide and as a Top 25 Service Provider for the Software-as-a Service (SaaS) and Business Service Provider category. The company provides email marketing solutions to more than 550 companies, including Nokia, Agilent, PalmSource and Jupitermedia. Headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., EmailLabs was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of Lyris, Inc. (OTCBB:JLHY). For more information, visit www.EmailLabs.com.