• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, February 4, 2010

Atlanta-based email service provider MailChimp said it has released a service that allows emails to be distributed across time zones at the same appointed minute. For example, if a marketer wants an email newsletter out at 9 a.m. in New York and at the same time in Los Angeles, its new software would allow that segmentation.

MailChimp said the tool is branded as Time Warp, and is part of a package of new applications it has released. Time Warp can provide improved analytics, the company added.

"One of the issues facing users with large lists is finding the most effective time of day to send campaigns," says MailChimp CEO Ben Chestnut.

Another new opportunity is an "auto-translation" tool that can benefit international marketers, or ones targeting different ethnic groups domestically. A campaign can be created in one language, but MailChimp can "detect" a recipient's preferred language "on the fly" and deliver it in that language.

MailChimp also has launched a new geotargeting application where a user can customize an email based on locales.

MailChimp customers include Canon, Staples and Mercedes-Benz.