A new report released Monday by Channelplay, a retail and channel solution provider, has claimed that Chinese smartphone vendor, Xiaomi, is now the leading single brand retail network with the largest exclusive brand network in India. As per the report, the company is at the top of the heap across all segments – not just in electronics – ahead of Samsung, Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), Dominos India and Bata.
Xiaomi’s retail network is inclusive of all its single brand retail outlets, including Mi Home, Mi Studio and Mi Stores. According to a statement from Channelplay CEO, Sundeep Holani, “A large proportion of consumers prefer a physical product experience before buying and another significant proportion is reluctant in making financial transactions online, especially for high value products. This has largely established the need for brand experience stores”.
In the study, industries retailing a physical product were audited across a number of categories, including apparel, footwear, jewellery, watches, electronics, pharmacy, furniture, furnishings and more. Some of the other popular brands that were evaluated include HP, Lenovo, Kohler, McDonalds, Subway, Puma, Ferns & Petals, Benetton, More Supermarket, Reliance Fresh and Baskin Robbins.
Xiaomi’s position at the top of the heap is not surprising, given how quickly the company has grabbed India’s smartphone market-share since its entry in 2014. While the company does make high-end Mi-branded phones, its massive success in India has largely been on the back of the high-quality mid-range devices the company sells as part of its Redmi lineup, which was spun off as an independent brand earlier this year.
With inputs from IANS
