The company’s ReadingGlassesShopper.com brand first started running the in-app opt-in ads in mid-February and, by April 9, the email list had grown by 10 percent as a result. In-app ads began running in late March for Socks4Life.com and SunglassWarehouse.com, which saw a 9 percent and 2 percent increase, respectively, in the size of their email lists.

“We use AdLeads to acquire new subscribers for our general email marketing list,” said Alessandra Souers, director of email marketing at One Click Ventures, Greenwood, IN. “This is a really great way for us to get into front of a lot of unique users.

“It is a very dynamic platform for us,” she said. “There are a lot of users and a lot of different people seeing those ads.

“We have received a ton of new subscribers – this is really a quick way to reach people who are interested in your products.”

Double opt-in
One Click operates nine brands, mostly across different fashion accessory categories. Its efforts in mobile have been limited so far and include the recent launch of a mobile site for its HandbagHeaven.com brand.

The in-app ads are being executed via Pontiflex’s new AdLeads program, which is a self-service platform enabling marketers to run geo-targeted mobile signup ads on iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Businesses only pay when people sign up for their ad.

Some of the other brands using AdLeads include Allurez, The DUMBO Improvement District and Paper Hat Press.

The mobile in-app ads are designed to drive app users to sign up for a specific brand’s opt-in email list. The messaging in the ads encourages users to sign up for an email list in order to save a certain amount off a purchase.

Users are asked to enter their email address and then receive an email asking them to confirm their subscription.

“I like that this is double opt-in, because that means it is people who are interested in hearing from you – I appreciate that,” Ms. Souers said.

Valuable subscribers
Once users are opted in, they begin receiving emails about sales, product highlights, bestsellers, new arrivals and daily deals.

One Click is also in the process of developing triggered and remarketed emails that will provide relevant offers to subscribers.

“Our email lists account for 17 percent of our company’s revenue – it is critical to us,” Ms. Souers said. “Because it is so successful, growing those lists is a really good tactic for us.”

The in-app ads are mostly appearing in games.

One Click selects its target audience and AdLeads selects which apps the ads appear in.

One Click is considering expanding the program to more of its brands once it gets a clearer picture of the return on investment.

“We would like to expand to other brands but we want to see how these three play out in terms of the ROI,” Ms. Souers said. “We are waiting to see if enough people convert that it makes sense.

“I think it could be a really low cost method of getting really valuable subscribers,” she said.