As part of a global strategy to dominate the smartphone market, Chinese phone maker Xiaomi has broken into West Africa with a plush showroom in Accra.
Located on the vibrant Spintex Road area, the showroom also showcases Xiaomi (or Mi)’s sleek home appliances like rice cookers, TVs, portable speakers, electronic scooters, vacuum cleaners and a host of other superbly designed products.
The setup of the showroom at Spintex – and soon in three other strategic locations in Accra and one in Kumasi – reflects the global Mi market strategy.
Arranged neatly in the middle of the showroom are polished desks displaying the high-end designs but affordable Xiaomi range of smartphones and tablets; then on one end of the walls are colourful TV sets, and on the other, a cabinet arranges beautifully designed products in neat rows.
The arrangement beckons the customers to rest their eyes on the smooth smartphones but makes sure they don’t miss out on the other home appliances on display.
Chief Executive of DeviceTech, franchise owners of the Xiaomi brand in Ghana and other West African countries (excluding Nigeria), said the affordability of the sleek and durable Mi products will be among the key strategies to knock off Samsung’s dominance in Ghana.
Hassan Mikati told Prime News during a brief conversation that the products have been well-received by the Ghanaian market.
“We are number one in Europe, we are number one in Asia, and we will be number one in Africa,” he said.
The bold determination to beat other popular brands in Ghana and Africa is consistent with Xiaomi’s global drive because with Chinese buying fewer smartphones the phone maker is looking to break through Africa’s huge market.
Xiaomi announced in 2019 that it was launching a department in Africa to be headed by one of its top executives – demonstrating the Chinese brand’s big interest in Africa.
Xiaomi was founded by Lei Jun in 2010. It prides itself on its “ecosystem” strategy, where they sell not just smartphones but also a variety of gadgets and household products. It began expanding into Western Europe in 2020.
In the 2021 global smartphone market share, Xiaomi moved into the Number 2 spot edging close to beating Samsung to the Number 1 spot and beating Apple hands down.
“This brand is a very high-end, packaging wise, specification wise... Quality-wise, our brand is much better, and [other brands] can’t compete,” Mr Mikati, the young businessman said during the launch of the Spintex showroom on Saturday, October 16, 2021.
He said after the other showrooms open at the strategic locations in Accra and Kumasi, the brand will set up in West African countries like Togo and Ivory Coast.
A phone dealer at the event, Emmanuel Aning, corroborates Mr Mikati’s prediction about the Mi brand in Ghana.
“I have been selling Xiaomi phones for a while and so far I have not received any negative feedback from any customer here. So, I think people will be happy to know Xiaomi is in Ghana and will look forward to using it,” he said.
With existing brands capitalising on their brand popularity and demand to hike up prices, Xiaomi’s strategy to present their high-end products at affordable prices is a breath of fresh air.