Xiaomi announced earlier this year that it was knocking together an online store for the U.S. and several European markets. Well, the work’s all done, with the Chinese company set to flick the switch on June 1 stateside and June 2 in the UK, France, and Germany.
You can already check out the store’s offerings, though you’ll have to wait till 7 p.m. PST Monday for the ‘buy’ button to show up. Products will be shipped throughout the U.S., as well as to addresses in the UK, France, and Germany.
Updated by Kyle Wiggers on 05-27-2015: Added the store’s launch dates.
At launch, however, only a selection of the company’s accessories will be available, with its smartphones and tablets possibly finding their way into the store at a later date. Its Mi headphones, for example, are going for $80, while the Mi fitness band is available for $15. Mobile battery packs are also on sale for between $10 and $14.
Speaking earlier this year, company co-founder Bin Lin cited product certification challenges as the reason for excluding its mobile devices from its new e-commerce store. However, if the operation proves a success, we can expect to see its range of mobile products hitting the site somewhere down the line.
Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s international chief, has already hinted at the possibility of the store’s future expansion, saying, “The amount of effort required to bring those products to the market is an incredible amount of work. We’re accelerating our entry by bringing simpler products.”
Beijing-based Xiaomi launched five years ago and has grown rapidly to become one of the largest smartphone makers in the world. Focusing primarily on emerging markets in Asia, the company last year sold around 61 million phones and continues to give giants like Apple and Samsung a run for their money in the region.
Clever marketing of powerful yet reasonably priced handsets has helped fuel its success, and with the company now stepping tentatively into the U.S. market, even greater triumphs could be just around the corner.
[Mi Store]
