In the tech world sometimes things make perfect sense and then there are situations that make you wonder why? That was the reaction of many when it was announced that Dropbox was acquiring the hip and cool Mailbox iOS app that received major buzz through new and clever marketing tactics in the app world. The buzz paid off so much that Dropbox reportedly bought Mailbox for around $100 million.
Mailbox was announced a few months ago and shown off on tech sites to garner some positive buzz on a new stanadalone iOS email app. It paid off and consumers became interested in the iOS email app that had a unique way of dealing with mail. Mailbox was designed to let a user dictate via the app when he or she wants to deal with a particular email. It is gesture driven and allows users to save emails for different times, including later today, this evening, tomorrow, this weekend, and more.. The service then alerts you to deal with that particular email based on when you want to be reminded to address the message. It's a standalone iOS email app that currently only works with Gmail accounts, but more services and platforms are expected to be supported in the future.
Mailbox uses a clever "reservation system" for users to gain entry into the service. This tactic was also seen as a major reason the app received so much buzz, it is warranted buzz if you're lucky enough to have your reservation confirmed. Think of it as the PR used in a trendy bar or new club. If there's a wait, people become intrigued and want to get inside to see what all the fuss is about. Mailbox released the free app. Inside the free app is a countdown showing you how many hundreds of thousands of users "reservations" were ahead of you, it even tells users on its website, "If you don't have a reservation, download the app to get your place in line - no codes required. Everyone can watch the line move in real-time from inside the app."
It was a cool concept in terms of marketing for an app, it had never been done before. Mailbox's countdown makes you want to check your place in line. One you're reservation if fulfilled you'll see that Mailbox is an intuitive email app that works around when you want to deal with an email; it's a simple solution that has proved to be a huge success. Dropbox reportedly decided to skip the whole reservation process and acquired the trendy email app for around $100 million. Dropbox told The Wall Street Journal:
"We felt we could help Mailbox reach a much different audience much faster," said Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, who said both companies shared the goal of making people's lives easier.
Mailbox has announced it handles over 60 million messages a day and has fulfilled over 1.3 million rexervations, the company told The Wall Street Journal, "We are still struggling to keep up with the demand from those who want to use it."
It's amazing how young software companies like Dropbox are acquiring an app for $100 million. It just goes to show you that the right marketing and buzz play a huge role in the overcrowded app market. If reservations are enough to help that kind of acquisition, no wonder hundreds of thousands of people are still checking their Mailbox app to see if their reservation has been met, once it has you can be the judge if the wait was worth it.
