Xiaomi, chinese electronics company has launched their online-to-offline service Mi Commerce in India amid lockdown.
Mi Commerce allows customers to browse and buy products from nearby Xiaomi stores and partner retailers. Customers can start shopping by sending a message to Xiaomi’s business account on Whatsapp or logging in on the Mi Commerce web app.
In a statement, Chief Operating Officer of Xiaomi India, Muralikrishnan B, “Mi Commerce is a specially designed platform to cater to the needs of our offline retail partners in the current Covid-19 scenario, and it is Xiaomi’s first step towards a longer-term omnichannel strategy,”
The initiative aims to kickstart Xiaomi’s sales in India, the company’s biggest market outside of China, and the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
According to research firm Counterpoint, Xiaomi saw zero sales of their smartphones in April during a nationwide lockdown that had started in late March. It also expects the market to decline by 10% for the full calendar year.
In a virtual briefing for Mi Commerce, Muralikrishnan B said that Xiaomi doesn’t want to portray the new service as a competitor to other e-commerce platforms, as it’s designed to help its retail partners amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The company is also offering working capital through loans for its offline retailers.
As India begins to relax its lockdown measures, Xiaomi expects almost 60% of its partner stores to resume operations soon.
Mi Commerce allows customers to browse and buy products from nearby Xiaomi stores and partner retailers. Customers can start shopping by sending a message to Xiaomi’s business account on Whatsapp or logging in on the Mi Commerce web app.
In a statement, Chief Operating Officer of Xiaomi India, Muralikrishnan B, “Mi Commerce is a specially designed platform to cater to the needs of our offline retail partners in the current Covid-19 scenario, and it is Xiaomi’s first step towards a longer-term omnichannel strategy,”
The initiative aims to kickstart Xiaomi’s sales in India, the company’s biggest market outside of China, and the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
According to research firm Counterpoint, Xiaomi saw zero sales of their smartphones in April during a nationwide lockdown that had started in late March. It also expects the market to decline by 10% for the full calendar year.
In a virtual briefing for Mi Commerce, Muralikrishnan B said that Xiaomi doesn’t want to portray the new service as a competitor to other e-commerce platforms, as it’s designed to help its retail partners amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The company is also offering working capital through loans for its offline retailers.
As India begins to relax its lockdown measures, Xiaomi expects almost 60% of its partner stores to resume operations soon.