Aadi-A bittersweet month for Channel partners

Aadi (mid-July to mid-August) is
believed to be the most auspicious month in the Tamil calendar. Every
year, deities of Goddess Parvati are decorated in Temples with
flowers and special prayers held on every Tuesday and Friday. Adding
to that, a series of festivals are celebrated across the month.
However, it is also believed to be a worst month for business. In
recent trend, especially, retail shops have started following the
process of floating special discounts for products. The DQWeek
projects the impact of the Aadi month on the channel community.

“There is not a drastic change in our
business. We have mixed response. In a week, say, 2 days are good for
business,” said NJ Sainath, partner, Magnum Computers, Chennai.
“However, we offer customers special offers and discounts during
Aadi whatsoever be the market's condition,” added Sainath. R
Ramesh Kumar, a Kumbakonam-based dealer said, “The consumer buying
behavior towards IT products is at par with textiles and jewelry.
They expect special discounts and are pleased if they are given a
price lesser from the tag price to the negotiation price.” Speaking
about the impact on the business, Kumar said that sometimes it is
dull. Interestingly, the reason is, “Before the customer comes to a
conclusion in buying a product from a particular shop which offers
the best price, the month ends,” said Kumar. However, moving
towards South of Tamil Nadu, where age-old traditions are still in
practice, it is interesting that there was no impact on the sales of
technology products during the month of Aadi. “The trend of
offering products at discounted rates was initiated by the players in
the textile industry. Even though people in our area may seek
discount for other products but not for computer products,” said
Rajkumar, a Madurai-based dealer.

“Anyone who starts a new business may
find Aadi an inauspicious month, but when it comes to buying
computers and accessories, they have no problem,” added Rajkumar.
At the same time, Rajkumar also added that the dealers are ready to
label the products with discount rates, provided, if the vendors are
ready to give them a competitive price and encourage them to
introduce discount rates. “We are already giving products at a
competitive price. Only if the vendors support us, we can offer
discounts to customers,” concluded Rajkumar.