China's leading smartphone maker Xiaomi reveals 2015 sales target. (Photo : Wikimedia)
The American and European markets are finally within Xiaomi's reach, thanks to their online store, which has recently gone live.
It's been a long time coming, and to compensate, the Chinese electronics company has delivered its promise on putting four accessories via flash sales.
Americans can purchase the Mi Headphones for $79.099, the Mi Band for $14.99, the 500mAh Mi Power Bank for $9.99, and the 10400mAh Mi Power Bank for $13.99 if they were able to log on to the online store at 7 p.m. Pacific time.
The catch is, the online store doesn't sell Xiaomi's own line-up of tablets and smartphones.
There are several issues like patent and market saturation that might delay the arrival of Xiaomi's main line of products to the United States, but it's not a concern for the company. After all, the U.S. is not on Xiaomi's list of priority markets, according to VP Hugo Barra.
Instead, Americans and Europeans have access to hardware products manufactured by third-party companies, some of which are supported by Xiaomi through investments. While other companies keep their own brand and identity, some opt to adopt Xiaomi's by smacking a logo on their products prior to shopping.
According to Josh Horwitz from Tech in Asia, Xiaomi's entry to one of the world's largest markets might be anticlimactic, but it's beneficial for smaller startup companies in China. Without Xiaomi's financial support, brand power and logistics, companies like Xuami, 1more and Zmi have little to no chance of getting into the U.S. and European markets.
Xiaomi will work with international couriers DHL, UPS and FedEx to ship products from China to their American customers. Xiaomi has also stated that payments for customs will also be shouldered by the company via an included fee at check out.
