Online IT services marketplace OnForce says that price stabilization
and a rise in installation work in the most recent quarter could
indicate positive changes in the economy.
The change comes after price erosion punctuated previous quarters.
“We’ve started to see pricing stabilize for the second quarter in a
row,” says Maria Battaglia, senior vice president of marketing at
OnForce. “We are absolutely seeing price stabilization across all
categories.”
Executives at the company say this and other changes suggest that more
companies are beginning to invest in new technology as opposed to just
maintaining existing equipment.
For example, Battaglia also says OnForce has seen a 4 percent increase
in installation work, marking the first such increase in “quite some
time.” The increase coincides with a 3 percent decline in
break/fix work. VOIP, network and audio saw the highest installation
rates, according to OnForce.
“It could be that there is some stabilization going forward,” Battaglia says.
OnForce also saw a 7 percent increase in its “other” category, which
Battaglia says indicates that people could be using the OnForce
platform in non-traditional ways such as for micro-staffing or digital
displays.
OnForce says the top four categories this quarter in terms of work order volume were:
- PC Desktop: 30 percent (down from 32 percent in Q2.)
- TV/Video: 16 percent (down from 19 percent in Q2.)
- Network: 15 percent (up from 13 percent in Q2.)
- Printer: 9 percent (steady compared to Q2.)