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Interested in finding what's hot in town, a friend, travel or shopping stuff? Go to BindaasDaily.com
THEY WERE searching for new place to eat and, in the process, found a new idea for a business.
Not long ago on a weekend, like many young couples in Dubai who like to head out for a bit of outing and fun, entrepreneur Rohit Dev and his wife, Deepika happened to be looking for a new place to eat out. All the old joints they knew and frequented had become routine. They phoned friends for any ideas or suggestions.
It was then the thought struck them that, like them, lots of other people, too, could be hard pressed for information about new places in the city. This realisation, in turn, led them to believe that they could fulfil this particular need of the people.
The result: they launched www.bindaasDaily.com - a free daily e-newsletter keeping readers up to date with the best in shopping, lifestyle, travel and what's hot and undiscovered in the city. It is also a platform where readers can voice their views and comments on these places. The idea was conceptualised and work on www.bindaasDaily started in November last year. The site was launched in Dubai last month.
The site is mainly geared towards the carefree, savvy women of today, giving them a daily tip about what is hip and happening in the city. Deepika Dev, publisher, and co-Founder of BindaasDaily, spoke to City Times about her new venture.
What really prompted you to launch the site?
You know, like many people, we love to party, to shop, to eat out etc. We found that no detailed information was available about Dubai in one concise place. Information that people seek regularly. For instance, restaurants. There are just names and phone numbers. So, when you want to try a new restaurant or a shop, you normally ask your friends. And after a point even that gets exhausted. What about people who are new here, or who have just arrived? They want to know what is happening in the city. So, we thought we could become their new friend.
Why is your site geared towards women?
The aim of the site is to be a woman's best friend. The woman of today who needs information about all that is hot and happening and all that she would like to shop for etc on her fingertips. Thus we focus on being just that, but that doesn't mean that we exclude men from our site.
How do you go about collecting the information about places events?
We have a team of writers who hunt for spots that are best in their category and write about them from their own experience. Majority of our writers are women. We have some famous writers, mostly ghost writers. It is the Bindaas team that recommends not individual writers. Overall we have a team of about 25 writers, including about ten in Dubai.
What is the process of selection of places that feature on Bindaasdaily.com?
Our writers choose the places to go and visit. Sometimes my husband and I check a place and tell them to cover it. Even our social network recommends places and ideas for our writers to check out and if they are up to the BindaasDaily standard we write about them. Many a times, even the readers who have registered on the site suggest places. Many PR companies have started contacting us as well suggesting things they want us to cover.
Is your model based on a Western format?
Yes, we have based our model on the format which is very popular in the US. The recommendation concept doesn't exist in Asia. Basically, it is either a directory listing or a review.
How has the readers' response been so far to the site?
That site has grown over 300 per cent since its launch just about a month back. We are getting a huge number of registrations on a daily basis. The concept is new. And it takes a little time to understand it. But once you start using it, it becomes a habit. And it is not only a website. It is also an e-newsletter, which is free.
What are the areas of interest that you cover?
There are no boundaries for fashion, food or style. Anything that's great would come under BD preview. Our newsletter is pretty extensive. We have different categories of information, covering topics such as Food and Drinks, Fashion, Services, Art and Décor, Fun, Health and Fitness, Going Out and Gadgets.
If it's a free newsletter, what will be the source of revenue?
Of course, the projected source of revenue is advertising. A lot of brands have started contacting us for advertising and we are looking at all aspects but our core focus is our community.
How are you marketing the site?
We do believe a concept like this is much more word of mouth. You like it and you tell your friends about it. And that is where the true potential of the site is. Right now, we are focusing on the content. Any content website is successful only when the content is great. As they say, content is king.
What are your future plans?
We already have www.bindaasdaily.com in Dubai, Delhi and Mumbai. Next we plan to launch it in Bangalore. We are also looking at London and New York. The aim is to have it globally.
Lastly, why have you chosen the name bindaas for your site?
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