Xiaomi products will be sold on Amazon India and Snapdeal, starting April 8

Most Chinese tech manufacturers can’t really boast broad market availability, let alone brand recognition and value. Xiaomi seems to have gotten the marketing formula right, as it has become quite popular on various markets.

This has been achieved through a clever mix of aggressive pricing, gorilla marketing through a strong online presence and community, as well as a quite diverse and often odd product portfolio to cater to various demands. One of the company’s biggest market expanses was its exclusive partnership with Flipkart in India. This caused a veritable avalanche of interest and MI gadgets and smartphones seem to have a lot of appeal in the emerging market.

Now Xiaomi is planning to further tighten its grip on the vast market by partnering with both Amazon India and Snapdeal. This will allow prospective buyers in India a better level of flexibility in terms of prices, shipment and availability. And, needless to say, it should equal even greater sales numbers for the Chinese manufacturer.

But to really take hold of the vast market, Xiaomi needs to extend beyond online sales and into brick and mortar stores. Certain products are already available at The Mobile Store and Airtel, but there is a lot of work to be done in this department. Looking outside India, though, the company’s products have practically no availability.

There are a few accessories that can be purchased internationally via the official website, as well as some unauthorized resellers, like Xiaomishop, which had to be rebranded as Horonbuy, due to legal issues, but overall, it seems Xiaomi really can’t coup with a global expansion, at least not yet. And even if manufacturing capacity gets extended, it is really doubtful whether the Chinese company can maintain such competitive pricing on other markets.

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