The Chinese company is leaving no stone unturned to mark its strong presence in the Indian market. After becoming one of the top smartphone vendors in the country through its online-only strategy, Xiaomi is now eyeing for the offline space and has announced to open its first physical store in the country next week.
Xiaomi has sent out press invites for an event scheduled in Bengaluru on May 11 where the company will be launching its first Mi Home Store in India. Manu Jain, Group Vice President and Managing Director for Xiaomi India, will be present to inaugurate the store.
Even in China, its home country, Xiaomi was primarily depended on the online channels for its sales and also made the concept of flash popular in Asia. Xiaomi did launch its first offline store in China back in October 2016 and then expanded to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Bengaluru, India is the next in Xiaomi’s list.
While Bengaluru will be the first city to get the Mi Home store, the major cities in the country should follow soon. It is confirmed that Xiaomi will be selling its accessories and products like Mi Band, headphones, power banks, Mi Air Purifiers, etc. through the offline store, but there is no confirmation whether smartphones will be sold through this store just yet or not.
According to a study published by a research firm Strategy Analytics, Xiaomi is the most preferred brand in India when it comes to the next smartphone purchase, leaving behind Samsung and Apple. Moreover, the study says that the Chinese vendor witnessed a growth of 125 percent year on year, which is unmatched.
Ever since it entered the Indian market in 2014, Xiaomi has grown at an exponential rate, and that was made possible only because of affordable pricing, without compromising on the quality. The study says that most of the Indian smartphone buyers are willing to spend between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000, a segment Xiaomi grasps really well.
