Prabhu RamConsumers may want to prepone their Diwali shopping for mobile phones as prices are expected to rise sometime in September with handset makers that import most of their components from China, are forced to factor in 4-6% higher input costs with the rupee crashing to a record low against the US dollar.
Prabhu Ram, head – industry intelligence group (IIG), Cybermedia Research (CMR), said that in the lead-up to the festive season, brands operating in the sub-Rs 20,000 price band will have to seriously look at increasing prices since they operate with narrow margins.
Ram said that the premium smartphones can still ride against the rising dollar value to reap dividends during the festive season.
