Multiple Zones change B2C site into B2B
(Prachi Verma, Business Standard, New Delhi)

Multiple Zones India Pvt Ltd, recently acquired by Nasdaq listed mail.com, has changed its site pczoneindia.com from a business-to-consumer (B2C) to a business-to-business (B2B) portal. The restructured site would be launched in March.

The company has hired Andersen Consulting, a consultancy agency, to study and evaluate e-commerce model and technology for the restructured website.

"After the acquisition by mail.com, we have been busy in changing the site to a pure B2B portal from the earlier B2C. Our site, which has become the e-commerce arm of mail.com in India, was selling IT products earlier" Manpreet Singh, managing director of Multiple Zone India Pvt Ltd, told Business Standard.

Multiple Zone, which is expecting to break even by March, is also planning to change the company's name. It has received about $4 million from mail.com and is cash sufficient, he said.

"We are not looking at raising funds. Till now, we have used around $1 million to rebuild the site," Singh said.

The company is expecting Rs 60 crore turnover for April 2000 to March 2001 period and Rs 100 crore for this calendar year.

Multiple Zones is working with Microsoft for computerizing 500 schools. To be executed by April, Multiple Zones is providing software solutions for the project.

The company, which automates the procurement process for various vertical segments over the Internet, will presently be concentrating on hotel industry, electrical goods manufacturers etc.

"We are developing our engine on an application service provider (ASP) platform which will be used to apply across different verticals like, hotels and electrical goods industry," he remarked.

The company is also planning to set up two call centres, one in the South and the other in the West.