South sees PC sales soaring

With many PC vendors campaigning aggressively, PC sales may shoot up by 15-20 per cent during the financial year 2002-03 — the figure is against the growth rate of 12 per cent projected by the Manufacturers’ Association of Information Technology (MAIT) this year in the country.

Says L R Gandhi, president, Twin Cities Computer Dealers’ Association (TCCDA): “The Hyderabad market alone witnessed a growth rate of 10 per cent in the previous year despite the fact that there was no significant IT consumption, particularly in general manufacturing, banking and finance. In the year 2003 it is expected to grow by 15-20 per cent as the home and the small office/home office (SOHO) segment is emerging as a growth engine.”

PC vendors HCL, Wipro, Zenith and PCS, which achieved their targets during the slowdown in South, have drawn roadmaps to tap new markets — small towns. In fact, all players are focusing on time-to-market besides expanding their presence to smaller towns. This development is followed by printer and other peripheral companies, including Xerox.

Wipro Andhra Pradesh regional sales manager Shiladitya Som says at present his company is on an expansion spree. This is mainly because of the positive sales in the previous year. Wipro is focusing on the market reach at C&D (components and display devices) level towns through its channel partners. At present, the company has presence in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Warangal. Armed with 40 channel partners, it wants to reach smaller towns for aggressive sales.

LG Electronics India is another player that focuses on this model. The company, which launched its new brand PCs in the last quarter, is marketing them online (www.lgezbuy.com) and is delivering through its network of seven regional distributors and 80 resellers in Andhra Pradesh.

“There is a great demand for PCs. Our idea is to meet the market needs,” says S Prasanna, branch manager, IT division, Andhra Pradesh, LG Electronics India.