As one of the fastest rising companies from China, Xiaomi is doing exceptionally well. A measure of how fast the company is growing can be estimated by the number of markets that have already made space for the Apple of China. The fact that it’s not just the developing markets such India, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc., but established ones such as the US, Europe, etc. showing deep interest in having a local Xiaomi infrastructure in the market goes to show just how much ground Xiaomi still has left to cover.
Not even 5 years into operation, Xiaomi made their intentions of going global clear when they hired Hugo Barra, a refugee from Google. The ploy seems to have worked; Xiaomi are already a success in markets new to them, such as Malaysia.
Jana conducted a survey, talking to 750 youths from India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam about this very phenomenon – Xiaomi. The results are here for you to see, and derive your respective conclusions.
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Quite clearly, Xiaomi are betting their money on proven horses. Reason why we feel so is because: respondents from Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, all placed Xiaomi in the top 3 when asked who they thought made the highest quality Chinese smartphone.
The fact that Xiaomi doesn’t feature in the top 3 for respondents from India comes as a bit of a surprise, though. However, the market in India is much more diverse than the other 3, which should make it easier for Xiaomi to digest the fact.
Xiaomi will soon begin its march in the aforementioned countries, and is expected to face some stiff competition from local makers. Makers such as Mito & Cyrus from Indonesia, XOLO & Micromax from India, Cherry & Starmobiles from Philippines and FPT from Vietnam will all try to make life tough for the Chinese maker invading their respective markets.
However, Xiaomi arguably has much more of a global appeal than any of the above mentioned makers. It is all left to Xiaomi to understand the local market better, and push phones that are market sensitive and not only just cheap. We admit history is on Xiaomi’s side; it will, however, be interesting to see how the company fares outside its home and comfort zone.