Inflation not concern for Aussie resellers

As Australians brace themselves for another proposed interest rate hike by the RBA to curb inflation, the channel remains optimistic that an anticipated slowdown in the economy will not significantly impact ICT sales.

According to Mathew Dickerson, senior network consultant for Axxis, consumer spending hasn’t been significantly affected by past interest rate rises. However, he does foresee a relatively slow paced month of February for resellers.

“As people start getting their credit card bills after Christmas, start getting out of holiday mode, the kids go back to school and they have to deal with all the expenses associated with that, I think we’ll start seeing an impact on the market,” Dickerson said. "I believe there will still be confidence in the long term, but I think February will be dramatically quieter than previous months."

Kerry Scotland, marketing manager, Integ agreed that there has been little impact on the industry so far, but there may be fallout in the future for resellers if inflation influences corporate decision making.

“At this time we are not noticing any impact in the market, with good levels of market interest and projects unaffected,” Scotland said. “In the medium term, if inflation and other issues effect the buying intentions of corporates, market buoyancy may be impacted. The consumer sector would be the first to feel the effects of reduced discretionary spending.”