The sales for laptops and tablets have surged by over 25% over the last weekend sequentially over the previous weekend, retailers and brands were quoted as saying by The Economic Times.

This has happened after the government unexpectedly announced a ban on imports of laptops and tablets last week. The government further clarified that companies would need to get an import license before October 31.

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Ecommerce websites like Amazon are running an Independence Day sale, which led to a surge in sales, which continued on Monday (August 7) as well.

Leading electronics retail chain Vijay Sales' director Nilesh Gupta, was quoted as saying by ET, fear of both price increases and shortages due to the licensing requirement has seen sales shoot up in the last two days. He said sales are up 20% this weekend over last.

Another Xiaomi spokesperson also said that there has been a significant rise in demand for tablets in the last few days. A chief executive of a computer and tablet manufacturer revealed that the announcement by the government catalysed the back-to-college sales that usually happen around this time. Other than that, festive season purchases may have also pushed the demand.

The central government has tried to solve the concerns raised by companies, saying that there will be no delays in giving licences and permits for imports once the regime begins and the move should have no effect on product prices.

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Furthermore, around 30-35% of the laptops sold locally are assembled in India, according to an ET report. India imported IT hardware products worth $8.8 billion in FY23, which is way more than China and Singapore, accounting for $5.1 billion and $1.3 billion.

“We feel these are temporary spikes of consumers coming in early before the Independence Day sales," Great Eastern Retail director Pulkit Baid said, adding that there has been a 15-20% rise in laptop inquiries after the recent regulatory announcements. The retailer operated 88 stores in the east and north.

As per the latest data by market researcher International Data Corporation (IDC), Laptop sales saw a steeper decline at over 40% in the period under review. Demand for tablets is also languishing after these categories, including smartphones, received a massive boost during the peak of the Covid pandemic.