From no-one to No. 1: Xiaomi’s 5-year journey dotted with many milestones

As it completes five years in India, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is looking to introduce a host of ‘smart’ consumer goods such as smart washing machines, shoes, water purifiers and laptops in India.

Recounting the five-year journey for the company in India, Manu Jain, Managing Director of Xiaomi India, said earlier, several people scoffed at the idea of going ‘online-only’ without a marketing blitz.

“They called our strategy flawed. We set off our sales with 10,000 phones on July 22, 2014. But the online site crashed as the sales began. Since then, we have emerged as number one player with a share of 50 per cent in the online market and 20 per cent in the offline segment,” he said.