Xiaomi is at least one year away from US market entrance


Xiaomi has made quite a name for itself in China, but the company wants to continue its success internationally. After all, selling in your own country may be impressive (in the same way that Appleā€™s US sales are), but the recognition most revered is to respect and acceptance by those who are not oneā€™s countrymen. Itā€™s the reason why Apple branched out internationally when it struck a deal with China Mobile, and it explains the reason as to why Xiaomi wants to become more than just a Chinese brand.

In a Bloomberg interview involving Xiaomiā€™s Hugo Barra, Barra was asked about Xiaomiā€™s plans to enter the US smartphone competition race. Barraā€™s response was that Xiaomi will need ā€œat least one year plusā€ before it looks to arrive in the US market.

ā€œI would tell you if I knew, but I donā€™t. We donā€™t have like a set date yet. You know, selling phones is a huge marketing undertaking,ā€ Barra said. He talked with Bloomberg about the massive after-market sales, customer support, and other workforce members that Xiaomi would have to put in place in order to come to the US in formidable fashion. Barra responded by saying that ā€œweā€™re working towards that.ā€

When asked about intellectual property issues being one major reason why Xiaomi hasnā€™t yet entered the US market, Barra said, ā€œIt takes timeā€¦and secondly, weā€™re building our own portfolio of patents for defensive purposes, because youā€™ve got to kinda have that, think about it as a war chest of sorts. Weā€™ve filed over 2,000 patents, which is actually a lot. Weā€™re acquiring patents. Thatā€™s perhaps one of many factors that determines when weā€™re ready to enter a certain market.ā€

While Barra cites their large manpower workforce here in the US alongside of intellectual property/patent issues, there are some additional reasons as to why Xiaomi has yet to arrive in the US: 1) the Apple-Samsung duopoly, which shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon; 2) the Xiaomi brand; 3) the impact of Xiaomi on American culture and Xiaomiā€™s incorporation of American culture into its brand, which is distinctly Chinese (the name is a dead giveaway), among others.

After these factors, Xiaomi will also battle the fact that itā€™s name is Chinese and will be a turnoff to some American customers who can barely pronounce the company name. After all, ā€œSamsungā€ and ā€œAppleā€ are not hard to pronounce, but ā€œXiaomiā€ is a name that most Americans know little about (and those that do have had to Google for a pronunciation a time or two). Americans, like the Chinese, are nationalistic, and Apple appeals to a number of individuals not because its products are better than its rivals (Samsung, for example), but because it is distinctly American.

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With its distinctly Chinese name, Xiaomi will have to go the distance and convince Americans that Xiaomi is not just ā€œbuilt by the Chinese for the Chinese,ā€ but that itā€™s a truly global brand. And, if Xiaomi needs any wise counsel in this, which any new company looking to enter the US market does, it need only ask Samsung, whoā€™s had to battle the nationalistic fervor in the US to overtake Apple recently in marketshare sales in Appleā€™s native country. For Samsung, as is the case for any future company that tries to battle Apple, it wonā€™t be easy. Itā€™s possible, yes, but not easy.

Xiaomi can also consider the recent Google-Huawei partnership with the Huawei Nexus as an example. Huawei has never infiltrated the US market as a recognizable brand, so the manufacturer is teaming up with Google, an American brand with brand recognition, as a means to penetrate was has proven to be an impenetrable market. Xiaomi will have to do the same.

Read Also:  Xiaomi granted a new pop-up design patent

In the end, it all comes down to the consumer because itā€™s a consumer-based market. How will Xiaomi distinguish itself with a unique smartphone or mobile experience when it does arrive in the US? I think that above the issues of patent licensure, manpower, and money, which are all key to establishing a global brand, Xiaomiā€™s got to discover how it intends to set itself apart from the other rivals that have already set up shop in the US. If the recent past is any indication of truth, Motorola, LG, Sony, and HTC, among others, have failed in their efforts to topple Apple and Samsung. Nice leather/metal/plastic/glass build quality, some 13MP camera sensors, Quad HD displays, fingerprint scanners, and octa-core processors are nowĀ standard expectations for smartphones.

Xiaomi can make it in the global market, but the greatest challenges to the companyā€™s success lie ahead. Good is no longer good enough, and that alone may be the largest factor behind the US market delay.

Source

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5 Comments

  1. balcobomber25
    July 17, 2015

    If they enter the US market, they will probably drop the name Xiaomi alltogether and sell phones under the “Mi” name. It is much easier to pronounce for the American public.

    I think they are more than a year out though. First they will lock down the emerging markets such as Asia, Middle East and South America.

  2. G'n'T
    July 17, 2015

    From a global sales perspective, is the US still the highest priority market out there for a Chinese brand than would sell a lot more handsets in its home country (a hell of a lot more)? I am sure Xiaomi are hesitant about going to the US when looking back at the patent wars between Samsung and Apple, this would have to be a major factor to the delay.

    They would be better off focusing on emerging markets like Brazil, IMHO.

    • balcobomber25
      July 17, 2015

      In the world of cell phones it used to be all about two countries: US and China. But both of those markets are matured now and room for growth isn’t as great as it once was. The markets with the most priority now are the emerging markets like India, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Mexico and Brazil.

  3. ull
    July 17, 2015

    They should keep xiaomi. It might not be as bad as some think
    The other big question for xiaomi is their strategy. They are a company which sells services and that’s why it is a threat to google. They are more unpredictable than Huawei who tend to be more like samsung.
    The mi store and all kind of services play a big part in Xiaomi’s incomes.

  4. Adam Irvine
    July 17, 2015

    But Xiaomi generally is just built by the Chinese for the Chinese…

    Look at all their other awesome devices like the TVs, Routers etc, they’re all ONLY available in the Chinese language… It seems to only be their Phones and Tablet that had an English language and I’m sure that’d be traceable back to some community help translating MiUi or something similar..?