BuyAsOne offers a wide range of consumer durables, electronic goods and lifestyle products, having tied up with companies like LG, Samsung, Compaq, HP, Titan, Ericsson and others. Later it will include more products like garments, automobiles, sports goods, computer hardware and peripherals.

Says Uday Punj, director, Synesis Online Pvt Ltd, who is also director, Punj Lloyd Ltd, which is one of the promoters of the portal: ``Our aim is to provide innovative platforms to empower consumers to use the Net to their benefit and redefine consumer behaviour, encouraging them to buy in bulk.''

Once a consumer decides on the product, brand and model he wishes to buy on BuyAsOne, he can join the `Smart Cycle', which is a 10-15 day period, during which price is determined by the number of consumers wishing to buy the product. So, while one TV, for instance, may cost a negotiated price of Rs 15,000 for one buyer, it would cost Rs 13,000 for two, and drop further as the number of buyers increases. The site offers price-offs, product bundling, optional special deals (in place of a price off), free home delivery, safe and secure transactions and loyalty programmes. While 10 per cent of the payment has to be paid by credit card while joining the smart cycle, the rest will be paid by either DD or credit card.

The company will support its online activity with offline promotions and participation in exhibitions like the recent India Internet Show in Mumbai, to push the site. A budget of Rs 7 crore has been set aside for such activity over the next few months. BuyAsOne is currently operating in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and expects to cover 12 cities by year-end.

The company is focusing on building up the site as a credible, reliable option for consumers, and strengthening areas like customer service and delivery, supply chain management and customer care. It has tied up with Safexpress, Orchard and Easy Netcom to take care of the logistics and backend operations.

Synesis Online has so far invested $ 1.25 million on the project. Since it was test-launched in Mumbai in early May, it has transacted business worth Rs 25 lakh so far. The company expects to make profits in two years' time. It is based on a strong transaction revenue model, says Hema Parameswaran, CEO, BuyAsOne.com. The margin between procurement and final sale price forms the basis of its revenue model, with advertising forming an incidental source of revenue.