Xiaomi’s journey to becoming a smartphone market leader

XIAOMI Malaysia entered the smartphone and household appliance market in 2014 with the goal of making these goods accessible to consumers.

Since then, it has opened a total of 80 Xiaomi Authorised Stores, nine Xiaomi Display Zones, 157 Shop-in-Shops and 747 Preferred Partner Programmes.

As a form of recognition for being one of the most user-centric consumer brands, Xiaomi recently ranked first place for the highest smartphone sales in the country, and third globally.

Global market research firm Canalys says Xiaomi accounts for 25 per cent of smartphone sales in Malaysia for the third quarter of 2022.

A MISSION TO INNOVATE 

Xiaomi’s mission has always been to build innovative products at affordable prices for consumers.

It does this through its core strategy, Smartphone x Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), which puts equal emphasis on the smartphone and AIoT businesses, promoting smart interconnectivity in phones and a smart living ecosystem in household products.

Above all, the core strategy helps Xiaomi lead the way to futuristic living.

It also practises a dual-brand strategy — which comprises two smartphone brands, Xiaomi and Redmi — to drive growth.

The Xiaomi series boasts premium, flagship smartphones with the latest technology but without the hefty price tag.

The Redmi series features smartphones with the best-in-class performance at a great price-to-performance ratio, suitable for those on a budget.

PUSHING BOUNDARIES 

As a company founded by engineers and designers, Xiaomi embraces a culture that pushes back the boundaries of technology.

Over two years ago, Xiaomi introduced a game-changing 108MP camera capability to its flagship smartphone, Xiaomi Mi Note 10, which dominated the market.

Xiaomi jumped at the opportunity to offer the same technology in the latest Redmi Note 11 series that appeals to a wider consumer base.

The Xiaomi series also saw the launch of the new Xiaomi 12T Pro, which is equipped with the country’s first 200MP imaging system.

This shows that Xiaomi continuously operates based on its brand DNA: to offer a high price-to-performance ratio to consumers.

STRONG LEADERSHIP

Country director Nicholas Shi — responsible for Xiaomi’s operations in Singapore and Malaysia — has been directly involved in the company’s growth since 2019.

“When I first became part of the Malaysia team, Xiaomi went from nothing to achieving 25 per cent market share in a mere three years. The hurdles and challenges we’ve faced thus far have made it all worthwhile,” said Nicholas.

“The key to Xiaomi’s success are our people — my hardworking team members who worked tirelessly to realise these achievements, and also our Xiaomi fans and business partners in Malaysia who have supported us since day one. We hope that you can continue to support us so that we can bring in more amazing products at honest prices,” he said.

Now, the brand aims to create a quality and reliable customer service experience by elevating its after-sales services in Malaysia.

It also vowed to continually expand retail stores across the country to offer the latest products and technology.

NST