E-store for infotech products launched
(Business Standard, New Delhi, 10th December, 1999)

India now, has an e-store, http://www.pczone.com/, exclusively for information technology products. The site is the first of its kind in the country and will sell about 10,000 products over 24 categories.

The website was launched last week by Multiple Zones India Pvt. Ltd., a direct-customer IT enterprise. Also announced at the launch was a technical and marketing tie-up between Multiple Zones India Pvt. Ltd and infotech giant Intel. Multiple Zones India Pvt. Ltd is a subsidiary of the $700 million Multiple Zones International, an US-based direct marketing company for IT products.

The website will give Intel advertising mileage among large corporate and small and medium enterprises in the country.

The e-store could be used to successfully leverage business in India primarily because of the huge Internet potential in the country with over 5 lakh users at present, bound to grow to 88 lakh by 2003 and the exploding PC penetration in SMEs and large businesses," said Intel Asia Electronics Inc. general manager (marketing) Kanwaljit Singh.

The company also wants to be associated with the enterprises that are involved in e-commerce, especially in the business-to-business sector.

Intel is also working with other OEM (original equipment manufacturers) partner, such as, IBM, Compaq, Acer, Silicon Graphics and Wipro, to promote purchases for pczone.com by the business sector. It has undertaken several marketing programs with these OEMs.

Multiple Zones managing director Manpreet Singh said business and chain supply commerce would contribute over 50 per cent to Internet spend, of which 20 per cent would consist of electronics-hardware and software. The e-store would spur business-to-business opportunity.