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Toll-free Numbers on the Internet: FORTUNE 500SM Companies
Conclusions
Millions of consumers are exposed to toll-free numbers on a daily basis,
leading to their acceptance as a common advertising element. Their use
among top-grossing companies will continue to grow and set the standard
for all business-to-business and business-to-consumer companies.
Of the numbers used, vanity 800 numbers will continue to predominate.
The findings of this study confirm traditional wisdom regarding toll-free
numbers — consumers are most familiar with the 800 prefix. While
consumers have had 30 years to familiarize themselves with 800, they have
only been exposed to 888, 877 and 866 for the last few years. These alternate
prefixes, understandably, will never catch up.
With fewer consumers aware of the additional prefixes, the vast majority
of companies will continue using the original toll-free exchange to eliminate
user confusion and misdialing (i.e., dialing 800 instead of 888, 877 or
866). It is likely that smaller and newer companies use 888, 877 and 866
numbers because they do not have the resources of national conglomerate
companies in securing easy-to-remember 800 numbers. Likely using vanity
800 numbers whenever they can secure one, many choose a vanity 888, 877
or 866 number, so they can at least have a vanity number. There is no
question that if the vanity 800 number corresponding to their 888, 877
or 866 number became available, they would use it instead. Indeed, when
the 888 and 877 numbers were originally made available, many of them were
claimed by companies who were already using their 800 prefix equivalent
- a safeguard called self-replication. This trend is likely to continue
as the prefixes 855, 844 etc. are rolled out.
Published July 31, 2001
Copyright © 2001, 800 Response. All rights reserved.
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