FabFitFun, the leading lifestyle membership for women, announced that it has secured U.S. patent 11468473 that describes technology and functionality needed for courier services to deploy targeted digital ads, opening up an entirely new advertising ecosystem to reach consumers. This functionality includes building rich recipient demographics and serving appropriately targeted ads that could be deployed via package tracking pages, package status email updates, mobile apps, and other related digital and physical venues.

“At a time when most companies are searching for new and cost-effective means of customer targeting and acquisition, this technology could enable courier platforms to serve as richly and precisely targeted ad-serving vehicles,” said Julian Van Erlach, SVP of Supply Chain, FabFitFun, and principal inventor. “This functionality will allow any courier service to leverage the valuable data they have from consumer shopping habits to serve meaningful and targeted ads.”

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“This functionality will allow any courier service to leverage the valuable data they have from consumer shopping habits to serve meaningful and targeted ads.”

The intellectual property covered in the patent can enable licensee parcel carriers to leverage aspects of their current recipient data, including external metadata. This data could then be used to develop the databases and software needed to connect potential advertisers and their ad recipient attributes with the recipient attributes that carriers have developed through touchpoints such as tracking page visits, and email package status updates.

“The digital ad market is largely served by only a few key players and that has left advertisers with limited control when it comes to how they target potential customers,” Van Erlach said. “By leveraging our patent, carriers can open up an alternative and potentially very effective ad-serving market and vehicle.”

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