Experian takes on Royal Mail with movers data file

by Noelle McElhatton, Marketing Direct 26-Oct-05

Experian is challenging Royal Mail in the movers data market by launching its own change of address file, Absolute Contacts.

Royal Mail operates the market leading NCOA (National Change of Address)
file, based on consumers who have moved home and have paid Royal Mail to
register their new address.

Absolute Contacts uses Experian's Absolute Movers file to identify

goneaways.

Residency at the new address is verified against the edited Electoral
Roll and Experian's own data sources.

"There is a value in knowing those who have left an address, but being
able to maintain or regain contact is clearly a huge added bonus," said
Sophie Sail, head of product management at Experian's marketing services
division.

It estimated that about half the 3.25 million Britons who move house
each year do not register their new details on Royal Mail's file and it
is this gap that Experian is hoping to exploit.

"The NCOA file is not the total population of movers. It is a paid-for
service that consumers have to subscribe to," said Sail. "Royal Mail
statistics suggest that around 50 per cent of home movers subscribe for
redirection but not all of those will go forward to have their data
shared with third parties."

Royal Mail said it welcomed the arrival of "any new file that results in
better targeting".

Richard Roche, Royal Mail head of media markets, said the two files
differed in their core data. "The problem with using the edited Roll is
there is an ever-decreasing number of names available to use," he
said.

Roche added that the profile of Royal Mail's NCOA file is ABC1 and
C2.

"These are the people who are most valuable to the market," he said.