Xiaomi to set up mobile phone plant, e-commerce venture in Bangladesh

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi today officially announced its entrance in Bangladesh aiming to establish a mobile phone plant in the country within next couple of years, said its top official.

They also have plans to bring other digital products like smart TV, smart bicycle and some other digital devices in this market and the process might get started within a few months, said Manu Jain, vice president of Xiaomi.

“Bangladesh is a big strategic market for us and we are targeting it as it has huge potential as well.”

The Chinese global technology company also launched two new middle range smartphones today in a program at Four Points by Sheraton in Dhaka.

Previously, one of its local partner imported some handsets in Bangladesh and now both the partner and Xiaomi will do the business here separately, Jain shared their plan.

Only about 20 per cent people of Bangladesh are now using startphones and they want to increase the number which also will help to push digitisation of the country, said Jain, also the managing director of Xiaomi India.

While Xiaomi has 4 per cent market share of Bangladesh, they are the market leader in India within four years after its launch in the neighboring country, Jain said.

In its four years’ journey in India, Xiaomi set up six mobile phone plants over there and grabbed 60 per cent share of the total online sales as the company’s main target is to promote online sales.

To make the two new smartphones available in the market, Xiaomi chose leading online platform daraz.com for Bangladesh.

The phones will be available online on daraz.com from July 26 and it will take few more weeks to be available offline.

The Chinese company also plans to start a digital commerce venture in the market here, said Jain.

Xiaomi’s e-commerce venture mi.com is the eighth largest venture in the globe while it is third in position in Chain and India.

“Bangladesh’s digital commerce market size is still very small and we will try to scale it up through our platform,” Jain said after the launching program.

He said that at first they want to take a position in the market and in the meantime will start preparation for establishing smartphone plant and e-commerce venture.