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Tarun Gaur
Member, IT Club of Agra, and ACDA
How big is the Agra IT market?
The IT market here is quite buoyant and has about 150 active resellers. We are able to sell 700 PCs a month on the average. Over the past two years the market has been growing at more than 100 percent. The last 3-4 months had seen a dip in sales, but things are getting back on track now.
What are the drivers for IT growth?
Agra has a lot of manufacturing plants and industry-related wholesale markets. Revenue also comes from the home and education segments. In education, demand has been driven by engineering colleges and management institutes. Today, the education and home segments contribute 30 percent each to our revenues, while the SMB market contributes 40 percent.
What are the buying trends?
Agra has a lot of notebook takers, and as a result there is a clear shift in the consumer buying pattern. In the home segment the ratio is 70:30 in favor of notebooks, while in the education market desktops are favored with a ratio of 30:70. Brands such as HP, Compaq, Dell, Lenovo and Toshiba are popular. Assembled PCs have seen a fall in demand. People prefer to buy them only when the prices of branded PCs increase.
Besides notebooks, the demand for security products like CCTVs and DVR boxes is also seeing an upward trend.
What are the key challenges faced by resellers?
The primary challenge is that of price difference in products vis-à-vis markets like Delhi. This is due to the entry tax. On an average, prices here are at least 5 percent higher than in Delhi. Government policies in this regard are a major obstacle for the growth of our market. Then there are challenges related to liquidity with respect to the current economic meltdown. Also, most companies have withdrawn financing options.
What are the activities organized by your association?
We have two associations, the IT Club of Agra and the Agra Computer Dealers Association (ACDA) with 50 and 100 members respectively. Both the associations are very active and organize meetings regularly. They have also been active participants in the agitation against the entry tax. |