The Bihar IT Association (BITA) has initiated a structured industry-level intervention aimed at addressing one of the most pressing challenges in the consumer technology market today, the rising cost of laptops and the resulting affordability gap among end users. In a formal representation submitted to the national leadership of FAIITA, BITA has proposed extending consumer EMI tenures to 15 and 18 months, along with broader financing reforms to support sustained market demand.
BITA, as a regional industry body representing IT retailers, distributors, and channel partners across Bihar, has consistently played an active role in bridging the gap between ground-level market realities and national policy discussions. Over the years, the association has been engaged in strengthening the retail ecosystem through advocacy, market intelligence sharing, trade support initiatives, and coordinated engagement with industry stakeholders. Its latest proposal reflects a continuation of these efforts, focused on ensuring long-term sustainability and inclusivity in technology access.
BITA’s Growing Role in India’s IT Retail Ecosystem
In its communication addressed to FAIITA President Shri Navin Gupta, BITA highlighted a significant upward shift in the Average Selling Price (ASP) of notebooks and laptops over recent quarters. While acknowledging the rapid advancement of computing technologies, particularly AI-enabled systems and performance-driven hardware, the association emphasized that rising costs are creating a structural affordability constraint for large segments of consumers.
Rising Laptop Prices Creating Affordability Pressure
According to BITA’s assessment, existing EMI structures of 6, 9, and 12 months are increasingly insufficient in addressing the affordability needs of key user segments such as students, early-career professionals, freelancers, and small business owners. This challenge is particularly pronounced in semi-urban and emerging markets like Bihar, where price sensitivity plays a decisive role in purchase decisions and digital adoption.
EMI Tenure Extension Proposed to Ease Monthly Burden
As part of its proposal, BITA has recommended two key interventions. First, it has urged the introduction of extended EMI tenure options of 15 and 18 months across major IT brands and OEM financing programs. This, it believes, will help reduce the monthly repayment burden on consumers, thereby improving purchase feasibility without compromising product accessibility.
Second, BITA has advocated for the introduction of more flexible financing models, including low-cost and no-cost EMI schemes that extend up to 18 or even 24 months. The association noted that such structures would significantly lower the entry barrier at retail points of sale, enabling broader participation in the formal technology ecosystem.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Navin Gupta, President, FAIITA, stated, “The initiative taken by BITA on extending EMI tenures is a very relevant and timely representation of ground realities being faced by IT retailers, especially in markets like Bihar. As FAIITA, we continuously engage with brands to highlight such concerns raised by our state associations, ensuring that uniform and practical policies are adopted across the industry. Affordability remains a key driver for technology adoption, and we strongly believe that OEMs and brands should give due consideration to such constructive suggestions.”
While speaking to DT, and underscoring the growing urgency of the issue, Mr. Shailesh Kumar, President, Bihar IT Association (BITA), stated, “For BITA, the rising cost of laptops has moved beyond being a routine market challenge, it is now a direct concern for digital inclusion. In markets like Bihar and similar regions, we are clearly seeing that affordability is becoming the deciding factor for students, professionals, and small businesses when it comes to upgrading or purchasing devices. If we want to sustain meaningful technology adoption at the grassroots level, we must rethink the way affordability is structured.”
He further noted, “Extending EMI tenures is not just a financial adjustment, it is a practical and immediate intervention that can ease monthly burden, improve purchase feasibility, and at the same time support steady retail growth across the IT ecosystem. BITA strongly believes this step can create a more balanced and inclusive market environment.”
FAIITA Intervention Key to Industry-Level Change
BITA has also emphasized that coordinated intervention by FAIITA, as the apex national trade body, could play a pivotal role in engaging directly with OEM leadership. Such engagement, according to BITA, would be instrumental in aligning brand-level financing strategies with ground realities across India’s diverse retail markets.
Reinforcing its commitment to collaborative industry development, BITA has expressed its readiness to support FAIITA with comprehensive on-ground data, including regional sales trends, consumer behavior insights, and financing impact analysis from Bihar. The association believes that data-driven dialogue will be critical in shaping effective and scalable solutions.
BITA’s Broader Mission for Market Development
Beyond this proposal, BITA’s ongoing efforts have focused on strengthening the IT retail ecosystem through continuous engagement with channel partners, capacity-building initiatives, awareness programs, and representation of retailer concerns at higher industry forums. Its advocacy around affordability is positioned as part of a broader mission to ensure that technological access remains inclusive and that the digital divide between metros and emerging markets continues to narrow.
The association’s latest initiative reflects a growing consensus within the retail IT community that financing innovation will be as critical as product innovation in driving the next phase of hardware adoption in India.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 WhatsApp Channel now! 👈📲
𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆𝐬 👉 Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram
