The computer equipment rental market in Italy

An operating lease is a contract through which it is possible to obtain the supply of goods necessary for the business of a company or professional through the payment of a monthly fee. This contract varies in duration but normally starts from a minimum of three years and is renewable. It applies to various types of capital goods, including computer equipment needed for business activities: so we are mainly talking about desktop and laptop computers, monitors, keyboards and mice, smartphones and tablets.

The broader global equipment leasing market is projected to grow from $316.22 billion in 2020 to $342.66 billion in 2021 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4 percent, including IT equipment leases and rentals in its components.

In Italy, revenues from rental and leasing of office equipment, including IT equipment, accounted for 9.5% of total revenues from rental and leasing activities in 2018 [Istat]. In addition, revenues from the rental and leasing of office machinery and equipment (including computers) in this country are expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5 percent between 2020 and 2024.

The main driver of demand for these contracts is the increasingly shortening life cycle of electronic products, especially computer products. Indeed, obsolescence is becoming a priority issue: the need for high-performance machines that support the latest available software or technologies is critical in many contexts. In addition, the increased attention that Italian consumers are paying to sustainability issues is another key aspect to consider for this market, as operating leases streamline the life-cycle and scrapping processes of machines.

Overall, the Italian IT and telematics equipment leasing and rental market appears to be in excellent shape and pointing toward important growth. In fact, the COVID-19 crisis has fostered greater attention by companies to their expenditures, thus representing an interesting opportunity for this market, which aims above all to allow companies not to have to bear the full cost of the initial purchase of IT and telematics equipment.