Intel to increase focus on B & C class cities

Shweta Khanna

NEW DELHI: Intel is talking about digital PC parties these days and not the

digital divide. These days impetus is on giving as much boost as possible to

create and gather markets in B & C class cities across the nation. There is

a plethora of initiatives it is undertaking to do so. Right from end consumer

education, in vernacular languages to extending the distributor network, the

velocity in these markets is vast.






The B & C cities are slated to have a CAGR of 50 per cent as compared to a
CAGR of 25 per cent in metro cities. Though the base is small, the growth rate

is very high and Intel is planning to cash in on this.



Intel regional channel manager, Sandeep Aurora elaborated, "We have been
leading in reaching out to far places, it is our endeavor to reach as many

people as possible. We believe that nascent market is there everywhere, you just

need to explore it further."






Intel is also trying to extend its channel network in all these regions by
urging its distributors to open branches in smaller cities. To tap the SMBs and

SMEs it is spearheading a chain of seminars that has a curricula ranging from

managing your accounts with PCs, inventory management or real time case studies.

"These seminars give them the insight to the ROI they can have from

procuring PCs and using them. Such programs have been very successful,"

added Aurora.






Recently a lot of corporates have moved to smaller cities on account of
friendlier taxation laws and meager operational costs. And to tap this growing

corporate clientele in these cities, the institutional sales division is also on

its toes.



"Surprisingly, we got one of our initial requirement for P4 2.2 GHz from
the University of Mysore--a B class city. IT knowledge is omnipresent now, it is

a myth that digital divide has rendered smaller cities to work on conventional

platforms and know nothing about the IT and its implications in our lives,"

quipped an enthusiastic Aurora.






The Digital PC parties are aimed at capturing the home segment's attention.
These parties are being organized in 29 smaller cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow,

Ludhiana, Bhopal, Cochin, Coimbatore, Meerut etc. The parties include a detailed

curriculum of the benefits of buying a PC at home. The punch line for these

parties is ‘bring a new member home'. The party talks about learning over the

PC, working on it, remaining connected with the near and dear ones, playing

games on it and other creative works on a PC.






"The response is overwhelming. It is nice to see that these parties are
full of aspiring home users who are serious about bringing a change in their

lives. One can see the complete spectrum of age, right from teetotalers to

elders; everyone seems to be serious about the change a PC can bring in their

lives," pointed out Aurora.






With such activities in the smaller cities, Intel aims at creating a healthy
market there. The PC market is expected to grow by 40 per cent in these cities,

and Intel would like to retain at least 85 per cent of this market.