Sales manager Anoop Gaonkar, although constantly uses PC at office, does not have a personal computer at home. Every time he feels like buying one and concentrates on saving money for the same, the money is drained out for some other cause.
Lecturer Amrut Sony has an old PC with CRT monitor, which occupies more space, and often gets blurred after a few minutes of use. He is not very sure whether with that old processor a new LED monitor will work.
Security supervisor Mahindra Nath got an iPod as gift from his friend, every time he needs to take his brother’s laptop for uploading songs in that. He has no other work to do with any computer, however, he likes to be self-sufficient, but he does not know which PC can serve his purpose at the lowest possible price and whether any loan is available for buying PCs.
Thus, the bottom line indicates the same common point – lack of information at individual level.
For many salaried people or even self-employed people (belonging to low income group), it is often difficult to disburse money at a time for buying a personal computer, however, the same person does not find it difficult, when he or she gets an opportunity to upgrade to acquire his or her desired configurations in steps.
In most of the advertisements of IT products, there is hardly any details of how easily the device can be upgraded and how can that help in running more applications.
Today’s media’s are full of advertisements for easy housing or car loans, unfortunately in India, how many finance companies put ads highlighting loan information for buying IT products?
As a common practice of the people who earn money in certain lump just once in a month, there remains a list of expenditures to be made before the money reaches his or her hand. And in most cases, the common tragedy is – sum of the amounts in the list of expenses always exceeds the total inward flow of money. Thus, the decision of getting own PC is postponed once, and continues to remain postponed for long, unless the person abruptly acts on credit cards’ strength.
Yet another problem is – the advertisement of high-end products (obviously high-priced products) in the mass media – where majority of the readers or viewers are fit for low-end products (obviously low-priced products). Readers or viewers of those ad-insertions automatically encase themselves inside the cocoons of out-of-my-reach category. Yet another class, who can afford to buy IT products and can make some use of those, feels why to spend so-much-for-so-little!
All finance companies and IT vendors need to realize the above aspects. All their advertisements in mass media need to communicate or hammer with the idea – yes, you can start with just so and so amount, and then there is every opportunity for upgrade. And of course, the initial investment from your own pocket is so less because the remaining almost 80 per cent (approximately) can come as a loan.
Resellers too need to take more interest on these aspects. If they are active to spread the information through their local ads, events and interactions, then obviously the people like Gaonkar, Sony, Nath and many others will adopt IT. Once initiated, the process of further absorption will continue on its own, very much like chain reaction in nuclear fission. Although we are experiencing our country’s great progress and contribution in the field of IT, we should not forget that our entire population is not yet exposed to IT facts and culture, resellers at all parts of the country have a major role to spread that culture. It will create a win-win situation for all vendors, resellers and the recipients (end-users).