Home Improvement Executive: Innovations in Mailboxes

Last week, we showed you the ad we prepared for Home Improvement Executive Magazine. This week, Home Improvement Executive Volume 24, No. 4 was released, featuring a special report on Innovations in Mailboxes.

Prior to the June 27 publication, Editor Denise Day reached out to us to find out what is so special about Mail Boss. The interview, as it was submitted, is included below:

Q: What have been Epoch Design’s significant innovations in Mailboxes as they relate to:

(a) Operating technology?
(b) Materials?
(c) Design/Size?
(d) Price/Value?

A: Epoch Design prides itself on the innovations implemented with Mail Boss locking security mailboxes.

(a) Operating Technology: Mailboxes are notoriously difficult to install. What homeowner wants to spend a Saturday afternoon installing a mailbox? Epoch Design patented the exclusive “Fast Trak” for its curbside Mail Boss mailboxes to facilitate easy installation in minutes rather than hours. With the Fast Trak Mounting Plate, homeowners can install the Mail Boss on any existing post or surface in minutes rather than hours. This is a particularly attractive feature for residents in areas with deep frost lines looking to upgrade to a secure mailbox – no need to dig out your post! The Fast Trak also makes column installations an easy project!

Epoch Design incorporates the exclusive and patented “Anti Pry Latch Lock” on all of its Mail Boss wall mount and curbside models for ultimate security and mail theft prevention. While most locking mailboxes can be pried open in 5 seconds or less with a household screwdriver, the patented anti-pry latch renders leveraged entry a daunting challenge for would-be mail thieves.

Mail Boss Package Master, introduced in 2009, includes patented “Mail Shield” technology, featuring a baffle door that allows for delivery of parcels and packages without being vulnerable to “fishing” by hand or otherwise. Most current “bin mailers” that accept packages and parcels can be easily fished. See link below for stunning visual examples:

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(b) Materials: Most mailboxes are made of thin gauge steel or even plastic. Epoch Design uses only the highest quality materials, for superior strength and durability. Mail Boss features 12- and 14-gauge electro-galvanized automotive ZN-FE alloy steel on its curbside mailboxes. Hinges and hardware are made of stainless steel for lifelong ease of use. Finally, Mail Boss is electro statically powder coated, generating a durable rust-resistant product that offers many years of service.

(c) Design/Size: Americans lead busy lives, and with predominantly two-parent working families often traveling for work or pleasure, who has time to check the mail daily? Epoch Design has designed its Mail Boss high-capacity mailboxes with convenience in mind, without sacrificing aesthetics. With the Mail Boss, homeowners must no longer check their mail daily, or rely on neighbors to retrieve sensitive documents; they can trust their mail will be secure for weeks in their Mail Boss until they retrieve it. Mail Boss mailboxes are designed for maximum capacity without a visually obtrusive exterior profile. The result is a visually appealing low profile mailbox, deeper than most with extra large capacity. This feature is particularly important when consumers receive long items in the mail such as books or legal size documents which otherwise may get trapped in shallower boxes.

Many consumers desire to coordinate their mailbox with their exterior home decor. As such, Epoch Design offers five attractive finishes for its Mail Boss mailboxes: black, bronze, granite, white and galaxy. One of the most popular finishes is the beautiful hammered bronze. Gone are the days of the generic “me too” black mailboxes.

(d) Price/Value: We believe Epoch Design produces the most secure and convenient locking mailbox on the market today for under $200.00. There are some very expensive mailboxes that offer high security. Then there are others that have a lock and look secure but offer minimal protection at best. Our company vision has been to produce the most secure mailbox possible for a price most everyone can afford. We believe that Epoch Design’s increasing sales in the current turbulent economy are a testimony to this achievement.

Q: How is Epoch Design helping retailers promote the innovations in Mailboxes to end-users?

A: We provide end cap and inline display packages to all of our customers. Included in this is a Golden Hammer award-winning point-of-purchase video player that communicates to consumers the prevalence of mail-identity theft and the superiority of the Mail Boss in terms of security, usability, and overall value. Additionally, we provide Golden Hammer award-winning point-of-purchase signage to communicate features and benefits above product displays. Customer feedback has indicated that merchandising materials have been instrumental in driving impressive margins in the otherwise ‘lackluster’ mailbox category. In addition, we have a high-traffic branded website that supports brick-and-mortar retailers with a dealer locator that attracts almost 30% of overall site traffic.

Q: Where are the opportunities to grow the Mailboxes business over the next year?

A: Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country for the past decade, and consumer awareness of the problem is continually increasing. Most consumers would never throw their sensitive documents in the trash without first shredding them, but not everyone yet realizes that most of these ‘sensitive documents’ are vulnerable to identity thieves in their mailbox! As consumer awareness of the prevalence of mail-identity theft increases, the demand for locking mailboxes will continue to grow. (And as more and more people switch to locking mailboxes, thieves become savvier in preying on ‘faux-security’ locking mailboxes.) Epoch Design aims to continue to provide Americans with a high-security locking mailbox at an affordable price. We believe that Mail Boss will ultimately be deemed synonymous with security and peace of mind at an affordable price.

Q: What else would you like to add?

A: Epoch Design, LLC is a 17 year established family-owned business located in Washington. Epoch Design and manufactures designs innovative products in the Mailbox and Furniture categories, offering consumers high quality products at extremely competitive prices. Epoch Design has a sterling reputation with its customers, both wholesale and retail.

From this interview, Home Improvement Executive selected quotes to include in its feature story, along with information from other mailbox manufacturers. The final feature story is available as a .pdf here.

HomeExecutiveInnovationsMailboxes

What do you think of the feature story? I didn’t think it was much of an editorial… more like a bunch of quotes piled together. But, we are hopeful that in combination with the full page ad adjacent to the story, we will attract some new retail partners!

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