Xiaomi sees IoT ecosystem growing in India, to start shipping vacuum cleaners from Sep

Xiaomi expects the smart home market in India to grow at a strong pace amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Chinese smartphone major is bringing in its robotic vacuum cleaner in the Indian market from September to tap into this demand.

Xiaomi had started taking orders from potential buyers for 'Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P' through its crowdfunding platform. It has placed 10,000 units on offer (starting April 17) and has met about 25 per cent of that target so far.

Usually, if the target number of units isn't met, Xiaomi does not ship the product and refunds the amount paid by the buyer.

"We have decided to bring the product to the Indian market, and will start shipping from September onwards. We will take a phased approach and will extend the pre-booking till June 15, where the product can be booked for Rs 17,999," Xiaomi India Chief Business Officer Raghu Reddy told PTI.

He added that between June 16-August 15, the device will be available at a slightly higher price, and after August 15, it will be sold at Rs 24,999.

Reddy explained that the crowdfunding timeline is being extended as it will allow customers in red zones, who may not have been able to place orders given the lockdown to pre-book.

While the booking can be done only on Mi.com currently, the device will be available through the retail channel as well after September, he said.

"We believe a product like this has a huge potential in the current times when the need for social distancing is forcing us to stay indoors," Reddy said adding that people are looking for devices that can help with household chores as they work from home.

He added that IoT (Internet-connected) products are expected to see strong demand in the country.

"We have received over 75 per cent of our orders from the top 10 cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Gurgaon, Noida, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. There has also seen active interest from cities such as Coimbatore, Cochin, Jaipur and Bhubaneswar," he said.

Reddy said the company has been growing its ecosystem of Internet of Things (IoT) products in the country with air purifiers, smart lights and water purifiers that can be controlled remotely using a smartphone. While the market is not fully matured yet, it is gaining popularity.

These devices are not manufactured or assembled locally yet. Reddy said it will look at manufacturing IoT-enabled products in India once the market is large enough for such products. Currently, Xiaomi - through its partners - makes products like smartphones, smart TVs and power banks in India.