Xiaomi, known as the Apple of China, has gained immense praise for its feature-packed budget smartphone offerings. But more recently it has not only been facing severe competition from its counterparts, but it has also been dethroned from the top spot in its home country. So, to boost its sales and reach to more consumers, it has aimed to open 1,000 more retail stores by 2020. And it looks like, Xiaomi has already started executing the plan!
Yes, to our surprise, Xiaomi has finally expanded beyond its set perimeter. It has opened it first overseas store outside Greater China and that too in the Asian financial hub — Singapore. The Mi Home store is situated at shopping mall Suntec City and will house Xiaomi’s line of smartphones and accessories.
Currently, it will be offering consumers the Mi Max, Mi 5, Redmi 3S, Redmi Note 3, Mi Band 2 and other accessories such as portable speakers and power banks. The company won’t stock other products such as the Mi TV or the Mi Rice Cooker but is keen to sell more of those in the coming future.
The Chinese manufacturer, with this store, is achieving its another first. It is using a local partner to run the store unlike its outlets in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan which it runs on its own.
It has collaborated with regional online retailer Lazada to manage its online sales, an area which Xiaomi itself has looked after till date. This retail outlet will help Xiaomi build up its image across the island nation and reach to a greater audience — especially the ones who prefer to buy budget devices after trying them out in person.
The opening of the store in Singapore also hints at the lightning speed at which Xiaomi is moving to cover ground outside its home country. There is now the possibility of implementing a similar strategy in India, which is the second largest market for the mobile manufacturer outside China.
India has been attracting eyeballs of various smartphones sellers and Xiaomi has been gaining profit since its arrival in the country. Considering the recent market upheaval, where it managed to sell over half a million in a three-day festive sale, the move shall be on cards soon! And, thus, instead of snatching up phones online in just a matter of seconds, people would be lining up outside the retail stores for a chance to grab the latest Mi device.
