• by Ray Schultz , October 29, 2019

SparkPost, provider of an email sending platform, will acquire email deliverability firm eDataSource, the firm announced on Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed.

The deal is expected to close within one to two weeks, a spokesperson says. The brands will be maintained separately for now, but will merge in 2020.

The purchase will combine SparkPost’s sending capabilities with the inbox performance data provided by eDataSource. Clients will gain access to an integrated email sending and analytics platform, the firm claims.

“The industry has long accepted a certain level of lost subscribers, however those stakes are considerably higher based on some of the email provider changes over the last few years,” states Rich Harris, CEO of SparkPost.

The combined companies “can now integrate insights with your sending for direct action and measurement,” Harris says.

GB Heidarsson, CEO of eDataSource, says clients will gain access to “sending and inbox placement analytics, enabling new insights and optimizations not currently possible with separate solutions.” Heidarsson will play a leadership role in the organization, the spokesperson says.

According to SparkPost, the purchase will lead to:

• Stronger predictive inbox performance insights
• Improved email engagement and conversion
• Data on how emails are performing within a larger marketing campaign
• A one-source solution.

SparkPost powers email programs for Oracle, Salesforce and Adobe as well as numerous other clients.

The company also offers a predictive email intelligence platform focusing on delivery. Introduced earlier this year, SparkPostSignals. allows brands to achieve high email delivery based on predictive analytics and machine learning, the company claims. 

eDataSource recently introduced a tool for helping companies analyze response through the email journey and compare it to that of other brands.  The product -- Journey Mapping -- allows users of the firm’s Competitive Tracker solution to assess sequenced email performance by region, journey type, engagement activity and other factors.

eDataSource has 37 employees. Combined, the firms will have 220 employees.