Xiaomi says that it has been able to establish a strong fan base by listening to passionate users for designing products
Pic credits – MiXiaomi organised its inaugural Mi fan event in U.S. last Friday. This two-day event showcased Xiaomi’s smartphones, including the Mi Mix 3, the Android One smartphone Mi A2, Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 8, Pocophone F1, and more than 50 Mi ecosystem products ranging from wearables and toys to cameras and lifestyle devices.
Speaking at the event, Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun said, “When I was creating Xiaomi, my idea was that no matter how big this company becomes in the future, we must run it like a small restaurant, a company where users can take part.”
Xiaomi considers Mi fans as its brand ambassadors
The brand on its official blog has mentioned that that Mi fan culture is one of its core strengths and key priorities. Xiaomi claims that it has been able to establish a strong fan base by listening to passionate users.
Manu Kumar Jain, MD Xiaomi India and VP Xiaomi, in one of his recent tweets mentioned that Xiaomi wins because they work together as a team. His tweet read, “We win because we play together as a team. Full team all-hands at Xiaomi India. We discussed 2019 plans, celebrated our quarterly awards & success of various teams! Mi Superheroes!”
One of his other tweets posted on November 30, after a Mi fan meet read, “Always a great pleasure meeting our brand ambassadors – Mi Fans! We have 10M+ Mi Fans across the world. These people have helped us become the most loved technology brand in India!”
Interestingly, a report by IDC had claimed that Xiaomi grabbed the number one spot in the list of top five wearable companies in 3Q18. The IDC report said, “Xiaomi grabbed the top position during the quarter, thanks to the success of the Mi Band 3 and significant expansion beyond its home country of China. Though typically China accounts for well over 80 per cent of Xiaomi’s shipment volume, this quarter that share fell to 61 per cent as the company managed to grow its presence in other markets such as India, Europe, and Middle East & Africa.”
It is also to be noted here that Apple, an America based smartphones and wearable devices brand, was ranked second in the same report.
Xiaomi captured 27 per cent smartphone market share in India
Counterpoint, in one of its reports, claimed that Xiaomi was able to capture 27 per cent market share during Q3 2018. This figure was up from 22 per cent that the brand held during the same period last year. Counterpoint mentioned that the brand managed to do this by driving sales from the new Redmi 6-series devices and by expanding its footprint in the offline channels.
The company had also formed a new sub-brand called POCO, which saw strong initial shipments of the Poco F1 smartphone. The brand claims that it also created a world record by opening 500 retail stores all across India.
