Xiaomi Sees 40 Percent Growth In Offline Sales During Festive Season

Xiaomi is the biggest smartphone brand in India. The Chinese smartphone maker is also the undisputed leader in the online retail segment. However, its next growth seems to be coming from the offline channel. On Wednesday, Xiaomi announced that it saw 30 to 40 percent growth in sales across product categories during festive season from offline channels. The announcement came alongside the launch of Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphones in India. The company is confident of the new launches and growth momentum continuing as Diwali approaches.

“We have expanded our offline retail presence significantly compared to where we were in festive season last year. In the first phase of the festive season, we have seen strong growth in both offline and online channels. Our offline sales grew 30-40 per cent over the last year (festive season),” Xiaomi India Head of Categories and Online Sales Raghu Reddy told PTI.

Xiaomi said it recorded sale of over 5.3 million devices during the festive sale (first phase), including more than 3.8 million smartphones. The company, which entered India in 2014 and sold smartphones exclusively online, ventured into offline retail in 2017. It now operates its own chain of Mi Homes (nearly 80), apart from Mi Preferred Partners (over 5,000) and more than 2,000 Mi Stores (franchise model).

According to research firm IDC, Xiaomi led the smartphone market in India with 28.3 per cent share during April-June 2019, followed by players like Samsung, vivo, Oppo and Realme. The quarter had seen shipment of 36.9 million smartphones. The company launched its latest Redmi Note 8 and Note 8 Pro smartphones, Mi Air Purifier 2C on Wednesday. It also unveiled its MIUI 11 (user interface).

“Redmi Note series has been a true disruptor since Redmi Note launch in 2014. Each Redmi Note has redefined high value product by pushing the boundaries of technology and challenging the status quo,” Reddy said. “We are extremely excited to launch our 64MP Quad camera beast…Redmi Note 8 Pro sets a benchmark for gaming and imaging with the world’s first 64MP camera sensor and Helio G90T chipset,” he added.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro is the first smartphone in India powered by MediaTek Helio G90T mobile processor. It is also the first from Xiaomi to feature new 64-megapixel sensor from Samsung. The Chinese smartphone maker is getting rid of 4GB RAM variants altogether with the smartphone. It will come in three variants — 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB — and is available starting at Rs 14,999. The Redmi Note 8, on the other hand, comes in two variants – 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB – starts at Rs 9,999. Both the devices will be available from October 21.

Reddy said its new Mi Air Purifier 2C will bring air purifiers to the masses and added that at a price tag of Rs 6,499, it is the most accessible HEPA air filter powered purifier. Mi Air Purifier 2C features dual filtration technology, which includes a primary filter that the company claims takes care of large particles and a HEPA filter that eliminates up to 99.97 per cent of small particles (up to 0.3 micron).―BGR