The Chinese tech-giant Xiaomi is known for its affordable yet good feature smartphones. It was just a startup once and now has grown so much to an extent that it is now all set to launch their phones officially In Europe as well by deciding to launch in Spain.
The Xiaomi phones were launched on Tuesday in Spain during a grand launch event in Madrid, the capital of Spain. This is the first time that Xiaomi had gone for a phone set release in Europe as it revs up a stalled global push into other developed markets around Europe and the United States.
As part of the launch, the initial plan of the Chinese manufacturer, Xiaomi is to sell its flagship MiA1 smartphones, which are relatively easier on the pocket just costing around $265.85 which is still good value for its money, because of the extensive features it will offer for such a budget price. These phones are expected to be launched by Today in Spain, and along with these, there are other expected products too, mainly those which use internet connectivity, and which include but not limited to scooters, coffeemakers and air purifiers.
According to Wang Xian, who is the head of Xiaomi’s worldwide business in an interview to the Reuters before the launch, “It’s proof we are very, very serious to be a global company, not only a Chinese company and not only working in developing countries,”
He further added that “We want to expand our ambitions to developed areas like Western Europe, and that’s just the first step.”
Xiaomi the company itself has enjoyed some large success especially when it was launched as a startup. By 2014, Xiaomi was the world’s most worthy startup but in recent years, the overall product of sales of the company has rather stalled at a specific place if not declined, especially in 2016. This is because of the ongoing internal expansion by the company to place its products in customer’s hands all around the world.
Another reason for the slow sales might be the fact that there the Chinese market was too competitive. There are a number of smartphone manufacturers in China and with the likes of Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, it was difficult if not impossible for a startup to lead the charts in sales.
Such was the stall that Xiaomi decided to call of their several overseas markets including Brazil and Indonesia, because of the slow sales, but since then now the company has decided to expand elsewhere, and even relaunch in the same countries ranging from Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Wang further commented further realizing the situation the company was in the previous year, that “We are more focused now, we also have more resources,”.
Wang joined the company just recently because of the much-praised previous CEO, Hugo Barra switched careers and went to work for Facebook for their ongoing augmented reality.
Obviously, to fund its overseas expansion, Xiaomi needed large funds, but thankfully that came in the form of a $1 billion loan. Xiaomi itself has also fared better this year by becoming the fourth largest smartphone vendor by sales in China, beating Apple to its position. This was partially in help due to its offline stores because it helped cause a “resurgence” push in its very home.
Xiaomi also has a stronghold in India, where it just lags behind Samsung to become the second most smartphone provide in terms of sales. Not only this but its international sales have also increased since the company recorded a 10 percent sales outside its native China.