In India, Xiaomi is already present in 18,000 physical outlets and plans to expand this number. Xiaomi’s India CEO, Muralikrishnan B., claims that the company wants to boost its smartphone sales, which have lagged behind rival Samsung in India after years of focused on e-commerce, according to Reuters.
Details on as it trails Samsung in sales, Xiaomi will concentrate on opening retail locations in India
Muralikrishnan claimed in an interview that “our market position in offline is far lower than what it is in internet. Other competitors who have been performing rather well and possessing a greater market share might be found offline. India is notable for having 600 million smartphone users. However, just 44% of smartphone sales in India are made online; the majority of transactions still take place in physical storefronts.
According to Counterpoint Research, retail shops accounted for 34% of Xiaomi’s sales this year in China. However, 57% of sales for Xiaomi’s rival Samsung come from physical locations.
The head of Xiaomi India claims that since there is less strong competition, the business would now work with phone dealers to offer other items like Xiaomi TV or security cameras. The business will concentrate on extending its shop network in India past 18,000 locations. He continued by saying that certain stores were discovered to be prominently displaying rival brands while yet bearing the Xiaomi name. The business will deal with this marketing problem.
According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung has supplanted Xiaomi as the dominant brand in the nation. In India, Samsung presently holds a 20% market share, while Xiaomi holds a 16% share. “Offline remains a key platform as India embraces the premiumisation trend,” said Counterpoint analyst Tarun Pathak. Spending customers desire the luxury product’s appearance and feel.
The head of Xiaomi India said that the business would now employ additional shop promoters, or salespeople who get customers into stores and then pitch and sell them phones. By the end of next year, the number of promoters is expected to have tripled from early 2023 levels, reaching 12,000 people.
