Flipkart today announced it has partnered with Microsoft, HP, and Intel to brings affordable PCs to consumers. Specifically, the Indian E-commerce marketplace will sell the HP Intel Core i3 laptop for Rs 36,000 ($550) or Rs 999 ($15.5) per month over a 36-month payment plan.
The Windows 10 laptop is a solid buy and Flipkart says it is targeting college students and first-time PC buyers with the price reduction. The 36-month EMI payment option is being offered in collaboration with ICICI Bank and CitiBank:
Amitesh Jha, Vice President, Electronic Devices at Flipkart, called the deal a first of its kind:
“With Flipkart’s wide market reach combined with an industry-first affordable 36-month EMI option, we are certain that this offering is a winning combination and will strike a chord with our customers reinforcing our undisputed position as laptop market-leaders in the country.”
The online retailer points out that laptops are its third largest category. More Indians are purchasing Windows 10 PCs, and the category has grown 30% year-on-year through 2016. This is a significant increase over the five percent industry increase for laptop sales.
If you are wondering, the HP in question comes with a 6th gen Core i3, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, a 1TB HDD, and a 15.6-inch display.
Microsoft Investments in Flipkart
Back in April, Microsoft Ventures was among a group of investors who put money into Flipkart. Joining including eBay, Tencent, Naspers, Tiger Global, and DST Global, the company made its biggest deal ever in India.
The funding round resulted in the company gathering $1.4 billion to push a post-money valuation of $11.6 billion.
With the deal, Flipkart also took overseer duties for eBay India, although it continues to operate independently. Flipkart has also adopted Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and is becoming a key partner to the company in India.
