Chinese tech firm Xiaomi, known for strictly selling its products online to keep prices low, modified its strategy in the country last week by making its gadgets available in 200 retail shops nationwide.
In a press statement, Xiaomi said that starting June 27, its Redmi 2 and Mi Pad products will be sold at MemoXpress, Silicon Valley and PC Express stores.
The company pointed out, however, that its products will continue to be available online on Lazada Philippines. The suggested retail prices of Mi products at the retail stores will be the same as the online prices.
This strategy, it said, allows Mi fans to pick the most convenient way of purchasing their desired products.
“Mi fans in the Philippines have asked for more ways to purchase Mi products, and we’ve listened. In addition to our main online sales channel, we’re excited to offer offline sales as an option,? said Steve Vickers, general manager for Southeast Asia at Xiaomi.
?Mi fans will also benefit from being able to try out our latest products at experience zones located in certain stores, before making a decision and buying them on the spot,” he added.
Offline buyers will also enjoy the same after-sales support from Xiaomi, which includes chat support and a hotline service. They can also visit any of Xiaomi?s eight service centers, one of which is an Exclusive Service Center.
If Xiaomi now has both online and offline distribution networks in the country, Taiwan-based IT giant Asus has adopted the same tack with the opening of its local online shop.
The e-commerce site includes the Asus zenfones and tablets while the accessories will be available soon. The online site offers payment options through credit card or cash-on delivery.
It also offers free shipping, but it will take three working business days to deliver the ordered units. People who recently bought devices from the online store will have their order information sent on their email to keep them updated.
To entice buyers, the first 50 customers on the online store will receive a free 32GB microSD card for additional storage on their Asus mobile and tablets.
Meanwhile, tech colossus Microsoft also inaugurated its first ever physical stores in the Philippines for its Lumia and Nokia smartphone lines.
Microsoft opened its first retail shop at the Cyberzone of SM City North Edsa in Quezon City last June 27 and the second store at the SM Megamall on July 4.
