New Delhi: Branded Internet parlour chain Junction96 has entered into a promotional and commercial tie-up with Wipro Infotech to promote and retail its Voyager 15-inch PC through its parlours. The partnership will allow Wipro to leverage Junction96's wide network and geographical reach to focus on a targetted audience through innovative marketing programmes and selling propositions.This is part of Junction96's strategy of using innovative methods to increase revenues and at the same time reach out to a larger audience through its chain of 50 parlours across six cities. It follows an innovative business model that provides an interface between e-businesses, brands and consumers, facilitating their dealings with each other. Brands like Rediff.com, baazee.com, Fabmart, go4i.com, hungama.com have already tied up with the company.
Says Mr Rajshekhar Agrawal, managing director, Junction96:``With our nationwide reach, our parlours offer a lucrative link between Websites, vendors, surfers and consumers. The combination of a captive audience and a cost-effective reach makes it an ideal place for media houses and corporates to advertise and showcase their brands.''
This is an area that is being exploited by offering innovative branding opportunities through display options like mouse pads, danglers and grafitti boards. It also offers sampling, gifts and incentives like free surfing hours, like its current Surfamania promotion, which offers special surfing rates. It also plans to enhance its product offerings with facilities like video conferencing, chats, e-commerce and other services.
Internet parlours are increasingly being seen as offering a great business opportunity, given the low PC penetration in homes. A recent IDC survey had revealed that 73 per cent of visitors to cyber cafes belong to SEC A with 35 per cent being students, 17.6 per cent businessmen and 13 per cent office executives. Corporates and advertisers can thus reach out to their targetted audiences effectively. ``Such focussed targeting makes the advertising more cost-effective than even direct marketing, where response may be low, though costs are high, involving printing and postage costs,'' says a media expert.
Promoted by e-Ventures with an investment of $2 million, Junction96 is targetting 100 parlours by December. It uses a franchisee model where it invests in the franchised parlours in partnership with the franchisees and manages them through its professional management team.
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.