China’s largest Smartphone Manufacturer to launch in Africa – and possibly in Kenya

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You most probably have heard about the Xiaomi.

If not, here is a bit of info about them. Xiaomi is a leading Chinese smartphone manufacturer that is all about offering high-end tech at mid-range prices.

Before you dismiss them off as just another ‘cheap’ Chinese brand, it is worthwhile to mention that the Xiaomi was able to dethrone not only Samsung but also Apple to become the leading smartphone brand in China.

Taking over China, a market with a close to a billion mobile phone users, is no mean feat, especially for a smartphone startup that began its operations just five years ago. The meteoric rise of Xiaomi was a sure indicator that it was time for the privately-held to expand further.

The Xiaomi business model worked excellently in developing nations such as India and it was just a matter of time before the brand officially launched in Africa.

Xiaomi will launch in Africa in September 2015 (next month) and has already picked Mobile in Africa Limited as its official distributor of everything Xiaomi in Africa. The norm is for the distributors seek more supply chain partners, but it seems this time round it will be different.

Mobile in Africa Limited has made it specific that it will greatly utilize online sales channels rather than brick and mortar stores. That’s not an entirely new concept in Africa, as E-commerce is booming in Africa with online retailers such as Jumia leading the pack in this part of the world.

What is, however, very interesting is that Mobile in Africa is developing its own online stores in 14 African countries that will power its online sales strategy in Africa.

That is obviously a move to minimize the costs through eliminating the need for middlemen. This will undoubtedly keep the prices of the close to the recommended retail price and if it works could be disruptive in Africa’s rapidly growing smartphone market.

The news that Xiaomi is planning to launch in Africa comes just a couple of days after Google’s/Alphabet’s Android One program made its way to Africa.

Via