Rediff redesigns homepage into grid layout, allots more online real estate to push e-com business

Rediff.com  has changed look and feel of its homepage by featuring tile interface or grid layout and more image-friendly appearance to capitalise on growing usage of smartphones and tablets.

The new homepage has assortment of items from across sections like news and politics, business, movies, cricket sports, etc into grids. According to the company's statement, the new design is based on user feedback and provides a seamless experience on personal computers and laptops as well as touchscreen handheld devices like tablets and smartphones.

"The Indian internet user base is quickly moving to consuming our services on various types of mobile devices, whether at home or on the go. As a result, this transition required us to take a fresh and innovative view of how our users are likely to interact with our portal. Our new tiled interface is a step towards making it easy for a rapidly growing segment of users who access our website from tablet like touch screen devices," said Ajit Balakrishnan, chairman and CEO of Rediff.com.

Through this development, the company seeks to increase visibility of its e-commerce segment with a larger footprint on the homepage.

"We have also redesigned the site in terms of providing users with the content and imagery they desire on our home page, while adding more e-commerce options, which have been in higher demand from this growing population," said Balakrishnan.

The company posted 18 per cent decline in revenue to $3.97 million for the third quarter ended December 31, 2012. However, revenue from Rediff.com's online shopping marketplace business grew 11 per cent on a quarterly sequential basis and was up 85 per cent year on year while maintaining a margin of 12 per cent. This also explains the extra real estate committed to the e-com business on its homepage.

The company is yet to announce results for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2013.