Is Xiaomi Launching A Smartphone For Rural Market? Or Is It The Note 5?
The company has been busy launching bestselling smartphones one after another, and announcing several Mi Home stores across the country.
After becoming India’s leading smartphone brand, Xiaomi is gearing up for their next release, mysteriously named ‘i’, in India.
After doing extremely well in the budget and mid-range smartphone segment, Xiaomi looks ready to cater to the needs of rural India. Being one the most neglected sections of the society that needs help the most, Xiaomi seems to be getting ready to do their bit for the rural smartphone users.
The company has been busy launching bestselling smartphones one after another, and announcing several Mi Home stores across the country.
The upcoming product or device from Xiaomi is looking to be exclusively aimed towards the rural market.
Xiaomi: The Rural Connection
The managing director and vice president of Xiaomi India, Manu Kumar Jain had tweeted
Met this incredible couple during my field trip across villages. I was humbled by their warmth, and hospitality they offered me ?
Gained insights on the way people lead their lives in rural India. Fingers crossed for a new product that I believe will help change their lives ? pic.twitter.com/hTNmiWmZ6H
— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) November 19, 2017
hinting at a probable launch of something for the rural market.
Two days back, Xiaomi’s India head had shared a picture with a name ‘i’ hinting at the company’s next launch in India. No other details were shared.
“i” is coming soon!
Any guesses what is this? ? @XiaomiIndia pic.twitter.com/rfmXuA8dfq
— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) November 18, 2017
Hence, the upcoming Redmi 5 or Redmi Note 5 were pegged as the probable upcoming products. But it looks like it is not yet the turn of Redmi Note 5 or Redmi 5. Instead, the company is looking to release a new device or product that will help people in the rural markets.
The upcoming device or initiative seems to be specifically targeted towards the rural segment. This could be an entry level 4G enabled feature phone or an entry level smartphone. It may even be some ecosystem product designed for the rural masses or could be a new network of Xiaomi’s extended reach via local offline stores.
No Details Yet
Xiaomi has successfully conquered most of the Tier I and Tier II cities in the country which has helped it to become the leading smartphone brand in India. Their next target seems to be to go for an even deeper market penetration.
The rural market still remains one of the biggest ones with immense potential. But, majority of the people are still wary of using a smartphone due to lack of availability and awareness.
Xiaomi had entered the Indian market only three years ago. Today it has surpassed the South Korean giant Samsung in terms of units of smartphones sold and market share.
Lately, the company has been working hard on their offline presence. It has partnered with Large Format Retailers, Mi Preferred Stores and have come up with their own Mi Home stores in different cities. The Chinese firm is planning on opening as many as 200 Mi Home stores across the country by 2019.
Xiaomi’s India Plans
Xiaomi is aggressively working on their O2O strategy (Online to Offline and vice versa) and is pushing the traffic directly from their online channels to their offline channels and vice versa to maintain an equilibrium. Presently, the the company has a 20% share of offline sales in the total shipments made in last one year.
Xiaomi has big plans for India and will possibly launch a range of Mi products in the days to come.
The dynamics of rural and urban market of India are very different, and Xiaomi needs to play smartly with their much anticipated ‘i’ product. Tapping into the connected urban market is way easier than an offline-dominated rural market.
