/dqweek/media/agency_attachments/JNb31gQnqJvAm0jqPxaV.png)
Follow Us
Agra, home to one of the seven Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal, is a
sprawling IT market in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Channel in Agra boasts of the
presence of a range of customers that buy low-cost to high-end products.
Despite the slowdown in the past few months, the IT market of Agra has not
been progressing at a steady pace. It has maintained its moderate sales record
and the partners are hoping that the festival season will further boost the
market. According to the partners' feedback in Agra, the months of June and July
had recorded a better performance, but August has not been great because buyers
in the education sector have yet not started their annual purchases.
“There are various engineering colleges in and around Agra and every year
they buy laptops and other IT products that drive our business in the month of
August. This year, the education segment has not yet started purchasing laptops,
and this is affecting our business. We are hoping that with the Diwali season
being round the corner, students might come to the market looking for discounts
and during that time our sales will boom,” shared Jitesh Aggarwal from MKG
Computers.
|
Jitesh Aggarwal, Director, MKG Computers |
| What are the major challenges in the Agra market? The one major problem that Agra is facing is regarding the entry tax. The IT industry, along with others, has been seeking clarification on entry tax. Entry tax of two percent has been inconveniencing all the sectors, including IT. We would like this issue to be resolved immediately. What How do you see the IT associations in Agra playing a role in the |
Though end-users and SOHO segment comprise main buyers in the Agra IT market,
corporate sector has also started showing positive signs of emerging as a
potential buyer.
Atul Singhal from AS Computer Services mentioned, “Though Agra is a market
that is dominated by foreign tourists, it does not contribute much to the IT
sector. The IT market is largely driven by students who come from nearby places
to study at engineering institutes. Therefore, channel partners also have to
keep an inventory that suits their requirement and budget.”
/)
Though the IT market of Agra is considered to be small, it has around 80
channel partners among whom around 50 are strong players. This fact indicates
that the market has potential buyers and the customers have the ability to spend
on IT requirements. Agra also has two associations-IT Club of Agra and Agra
Computers Traders Association.
| Market name: Agra
Market location: Market size: Rs 10 lakh per month Surrounding markets: Aligarh, Mathura Prominent dealers: MKG Computers, AS Computer Services, Simco National distributors: Redington, Compuage, SES Associations: IT Club of Agra and Agra Computers Traders Business verticals: SOHO, education, corporate Business trends: There are various engineering colleges around |
“Agra is a place where one can find all types of customers - those who can
buy laptops worth Rs 25,000 each to those who can afford prices like Rs 3 lakh
for a laptop. This is an advanta-geous fact for partners in Agra who can sell
variety of products and earn profit,” shared Aggarwal.
For a long time, Uttar Pradesh has been facing the issue of differences in
the sales tax structure. The implementation of two percent of entry tax has
inconvenienced all industries and the IT market in Agra had not been exempt from
it.
Over time, partners in Agra have enhanced their retail stores to change their
marketing style. However, with economic slowdown continuing, no new retail
investment has taken place. Partners are just reserving their energies to steady
flow of business, given the current market scenario.
Parminder Vasu from City Computers added, “Though a small place, major
distributors are present in Agra, which makes the distribution process easy and
with more number of corporate houses taking interest in the town, the situation
will improve in the coming time.”