Xiaomi becomes first brand in India to sell smartphones via vending machines

Xiaomi will sell smartphones and mobile accessories through vending machines in India now. The company is calling these one-of-their-kind vending machines as Mi Express Kiosks – Xiaomi, in fact, says that it is the first technology brand in India to sell smartphones and mobile accessories via vending machines. 

Xiaomi has launched its first Mi Express Kiosk vending machine at Manyata Tech Park in Bengaluru and plans to set up several more in the coming months across metro cities “in public areas with greater footfall such as tech parks, metro stations, airports, and shopping malls.”    

Xiaomi says its Mi Express Kiosks will serve as “a highly effective new retail initiative” allowing consumers to buy Xiaomi smartphones and mobile accessories “instantly” in offline markets in addition to “eliminating operational and cost inefficiencies” in line with the company’s Mi Home stores and Mi.com/in store. The Mi Express Kiosks will accept credit cards, debit cards, cash and UPI for payments. 

Xiaomi has been aggressively building its offline sales business since 2017. The company previously employed a three pronged strategy for offline sales involving Large Format Retailer partners, Mi Preferred Partner stores and Mi Home stores – only recently, it added Mi Studios to that list to help bolster its offline expansion efforts further. Xiaomi’s Mi Studios are said to be an “extension of the popular Mi Homes, aiming to offer premium brand experience to consumers in 50 cities spanning across prime consumer markets in India in an optimized space.” 

As for actual Mi Homes, Xiaomi now boasts of a total of 1,000 in-house retail stores across 300+ cities and 19 states. 

The Mi Express Kiosk is yet another offline sales medium that Xiaomi has opened to reach the average consumer – in turn further cementing its top smartphone brand position in India’s burgeoning smartphone market. Xiaomi says, it plans to link its Mi Express Kiosks to online – Mi.com/in so potential buyers will be able to locate them conveniently in advance before heading out to make a purchase.

Also Read:  Xiaomi Now Has 1,000 Mi Home Offline Stores In India, Generating Employment For Over 2,000 People