indiainfo.com acquires Just Dial

BANGALORE: Indiainfo.com has acquired Just Dial, an information service

company in Mumbai in a cash and stock deal and the value of which is not

disclosed.

Just Dial, which was previously owned by A&M Communications is believed

to have 12200 paying business customers who place listings in the Just Dial

database for a fee. Overall, it claims to have over five lakh business customers

and receives an average of eight million calls per year, of which 1.5 million

are regular/repeat callers.

As a first step, indiainfo.com is planning to offer its Web design and other

solutions to the existing customer base of Just Dial. Indiainfo.com chief

executive officer Raj Koneru said, "We are very strong in Web hosting. We

will be leveraging this strength."

With the acquisition of Just Dial, indiainfo.com is also making its foray in

the business-to-business e-commerce segment. This strategy will revolve around

the customer base of Just Dial. Indiainfo.com is unveiling its B2C portal

sometime later this week. Said Mr Koneru, "Here vendors can list the

products they have and consumers can place orders. We will be getting a

transaction fee for the service."

Later on, the company will also launch its B2B marketplace site -

esourceindia.com. This Web site will serve as a meeting place for B2B deals. The

company also plans to offer a comparison engine that will make it easier for

buyers and sellers to float their request for proposals.