Mi Commerce: Check Xiaomi products online, buy from nearby offline stores while staying at home (Image: Reuters)
With the lockdown extended until May 17, people are unable to step out and purchase stuff that they want, especially in Red zones. All they can do right now is place an order online and wait for days to have it delivered. Smartphone companies are making it easy for customers who want to purchase products while staying at home. One of them is Xiaomi that launched its online to the offline solution called Mi Commerce.
With the Mi Commerce platform users will be able to browse and buy Xiaomi products from their nearest offline retail store while staying at home. “This is a first of its kind initiative to offer a rich shopping experience while regulating crowds, maintaining social distance, and ensuring the safety of users and retailers at Xiaomi retail stores,” the company noted. Recently, Vivo also launched a similar platform to make it easier for customers to buy their products.
How to use Mi Commerce
The key highlight is that Mi Commerce is accessible via a WhatsApp bot. Features such as finding a nearby store and many more will be added to the platform very soon.
*Interested users can send a WhatsApp message to Xiaomi’s Business account number at +91 8861826286 to start with. Users can also login to the Mi Commerce web app at https://local.mi.com/ which will help them connect with the nearest retail store and its available inventory.
*After checking out the products users can express their interest and the store will call to confirm the order and delivery time.
*The payment will be done on delivery and all delivery staff will ensure safe and hygienic delivery
Mi Commerce allows Online to Offline product discovery and enables users to reach out to offline retailers via an intuitive Web solution. The aim is to offer hyperlocal experience to customers, and faster and safer home delivery of products.
Muralikrishnan B, Chief Operating Officer, Xiaomi India, said, “Mi Commerce is a specially designed platform to cater to the needs of our Offline retail partners in the current COVID-19 scenario and it is Xiaomi’s first step towards a longer-term Omni channel strategy. This special initiative is built to ensure ease of purchase, keep partners and customers safe, and foster business continuity.”
Currently, Xiaomi has rolled this out in all operational Exclusive stores in India across ‘green’ and ‘orange’ zones as going by the government guidelines. Mi Commerce platform will be in addition to Xiaomi’s own online store mi.com as well as e-commerce partners that have also started taking orders for phones and Xiaomi products in the orange and green zones. “Almost 60% of Xiaomi’s partner stores are within green and orange zones and should be operational soon,” the company said.