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Vinod Kumar M
President,
Malabar IT Dealers Association (MITDA)
How big is the Kozhikode IT market?
The market addressed by channels in Kozhikode is probably around 4,500 PCs a month; of which an estimated 3,000 are desktops and the rest are notebooks.
The market has been growing exponentially over the past few years.
What are the drivers for IT growth?
Home and SOHO segment are the main drivers of IT market contributing around 85 percent of revenues. We have some educational institutions, a few government and corporate offices, which account for rest of the market. Literacy levels and computer awareness in Kozhikode and across Kerala is high, that is why the home users contribute significantly to the sales of PCs.
What are the buying trends?
Since the home segment is the major demand driver, there is substantial demand for lifestyle products. There is a healthy demand for assembled computers, though sales of branded PCs is picking up recently. In our state, consumers are brand-agnostic. They would rather pay for performance and value, and that is why assemblers are still in vogue here.
What are the key challenges faced by resellers?
Support is the biggest issue. Despite having a large market, and presence of nearly all distributors, we do not have full-fledged service centers here. There are other topical challenges which are mainly related to some vendor policies and are often resolved through the association.
What are the activities organized by your association?
We have 120 members in MITDA. Though Malabar region encompasses other districts such as Malappuram and Kannur, MITDA members are exclusively from Kozhikode district. We have taken a number of initiatives to ensure friendly relations between members of the association. We organized training camps and seminars to educate resellers and their staff. We have also organized and supported civic actions, which has virtually ensured that LFRs do not enter Kozhikode, this turn has helped the local resellers. There have been
several such initiatives ensuring better vendor-partner relations. |