Xiaomi takes e-commerce route to boost sale during lockdown in India

Smartphone maker Xiaomi will launch an e-commerce service in India this week to enable customers stuck at home during a nationwide lockdown to buy its products from their local retailer.
Xiaomi China shopThe new service, Mi Commerce, will allow consumers to browse online products available at a store close to their home and place orders, Muralikrishnan B, chief operating officer of Xiaomi India, said. Delivery will be done by the partner store.

The service will be rolled out across India and Xiaomi will continue it after the lockdown ends if it is successful.

Xiaomi is the biggest smartphone company in India by shipments with a market share of 30 percent, ahead of South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, according to Hong Kong-based tech researcher Counterpoint.

Xiaomi’s sales have taken a hit during the lockdown to contain the coronavirus. Stores in India are closed and online sales have dropped as e-commerce websites such as Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart suspended sales of mobile phones to focus on deliveries of household items.

India is Xiaomi’s biggest market outside China.

“We are offering business continuity in the offline trade, especially given the context that people will obviously be apprehensive about visiting offline stores because of concerns of safety, hygiene, virus spreading,” Muralikrishnan said.

Xiaomi will also help provide working capital loans to its partners through its credit offering, the company’s India head Manu Jain said.

Latest

More like this
Related

AR/VR headset market surges 18% as Meta leads and innovation drives shift to Mixed and Extended Reality

The global AR/VR headset market is undergoing a pivotal...

OnePlus bolsters manufacturing strategy with local IoT production in India

OnePlus has announced a partnership with Optiemus Electronics to...

Nothing strengthens India strategy with local manufacturing, investment, and expansion plans

London-based tech innovator Nothing has announced the local manufacturing...

Huawei Pura 80 Series: A blend of innovation and consumer-centric features

Huawei announced the launch of the Pura 80 smartphone...