REDHOTCURRY.COM LAUNCHES ONLINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY
(13 April 2006)

Leading South Asian Lifestyle Portal Redhotcurry.com has launched a new online Business Directory to help British businesses reach wealthy Asian Consumers and Asian Businesses to contact other Asian Businesses. Borne out of feedback from its 40,000 strong user base, the RedHot Business Directory is an integral part of the popular Redhotcurry.com site. The directory has over 76 distinct business categories and three levels of listing: a basic listing that costs just £75 per year features business name and address details, a premium listing costing £150 per annum allows for an additional business description and a showcase listing costing £350 p.a. allows a 16-image gallery and detailed business description.

"Our users want to be able to find suppliers quickly and easily, not just during the busy wedding season between June and September, but right throughout the year" said Lopa Patel, founder of Redhotcurry.com. "Starting at a cost of just 21 pence a day, a directory listing is a very hard-working tool in any business's marketing armoury and we know that The RedHot Business Directory will become a heavily utilised service".

Patel's comments are supported by research from the Forrester group that indicates 'that merchants who are deriving business from directory ads are typically advertising in niche guides'. With several billion online searches every day and hundreds of thousands of results returned in major search engines, looking for a supplier can be exhausting business for the consumer. "Businesses need to make better use of their marketing budget with more focussed online directories like the RedHot Business Directory and improved use of keywords" Patel explained.

The fully-featured RedHot Business Directory includes new tools like a web hyperlink to lead consumers directly to a supplier's website, map links, a ratings survey for consumers to leave feedback about a particular supplier, up to 10 keywords for enhanced search features, a 'contact us' form, an email-to-a-friend feature, image gallery and county & town search. Businesses can sign up immediately with a credit card at http://directory.redhotcurry.com, or for a small fee, pay for an account to be created for them. Paying for a premium or showcase listing also guarantees that the business is featured above others in the search results.

"Businesses don't need to have a website to benefit from RedHot Business Directory because we give prominence to Telephone, Fax and Email methods of contact too. A business can promote whichever method suits them best. The key is to make sure you're featured and that your listing says as much as possible about your products, services, awards and certifications. All of this helps consumers decide whom they will contact for a business relationship", Patel highlighted.

Initially aimed at the UK market, the RedHot Business Directory launch is being supported by a mail out to 1200 identified businesses, an advertising campaign on Redhotcurry.com and emailings to the site's user base. Redhotcurry.com has not forgotten its roots as a community-based portal either and has over 600 Gurdwaras, Mosques and Temples already featured in the directory. Charities and not-for-profit organisations, working in the UK South Asian sector, can apply for a free basic listing and discounted premium/showcase listings.

Redhotcurry.com plans to integrate its existing Restaurant Database into the new directory as a second phase.