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Saji Kumar
Member,
CDAT
How big is the Thiruvananthapuram IT market?
There are only 40 active partners in the market, who sell around 3,000 PCs on an average in a month. In the last two years, we have seen a significant growth of 50 percent.
What are the drivers for IT growth?
With the influx of major IT companies and technology parks being set up, the market has received quite a boost. Besides this, the education segment is also pushing up the demand. There are a number of small and large educational institutes opening here. And this is aiding the demand further.
Besides this, the home segment provides a major push. Overall, about 50 percent of the demand comes from the home segment, while 20 percent from the education and the balance from the corporate segment—especially the IT sector.
What are the buying trends?
There is an increased demand for notebooks coming from the education segment. Most of the educational institutions promote the concept of being mobile as more and more campuses are opting for Wi-Fi. On the other hand, the home segment prefers to invest in desktops. Over here the an average home consumer still opts for an assembled desktop over branded due to customization and price propositions offered.
Of the total PC sales, notebooks account for 40 percent while desktops constitute the rest. About 90 percent of desktops sold are assembled.
What are the key challenges faced by resellers?
One of the major problems is that of part-time professionals who operate from home. They take a chunk of the business pie.
As for our vendor woes, they provide rather dismal post-sales support. The warranty period is taken into account from the time a product is billed to us. This is an unfair practice.
What activities are organized by the city’s IT association?
Computers Dealers Association of Thiruvananthapuram (CDAT) is quite proactive. We regularly organize seminars and sessions on technology for the members. |