At its summer product launch in Taiwan, Xiaomi Taiwan officially introduced its Mijia smart connected home appliance brand to the Taiwanese market. The company also announced that, in addition to the recently launched Mi Air Purifier 2 and Mijia LED Smart Desk Lamp, it will continue to introduce more smart home appliances tailored for the Taiwanese market. Furthermore, Xiaomi Taiwan revealed that it will introduce the new Mi Box, recently announced at Google I/O 2016, as early as the fourth quarter of this year and is initiating discussions with local content partners.
Regarding the Mijia brand products announced for introduction in Taiwan, Xiaomi Taiwan stated that it plans to introduce more smart home appliances suitable for the Taiwanese market. Previously, it has provided products including the Xiaoyi Camera, Xiaomi Bedside Lamp, and Xiaoyi Video Camera. This time, it officially introduced the much-anticipated Xiaomi Air Purifier 2 and the Mijia LED Smart Desk Lamp that can accommodate a variety of lighting scenarios. For example, the purifier product also provides home delivery and repair after-sales service. While it does not rule out displaying products through physical channels in the future, online sales will still be the primary focus.
The US version of Xiaomi Mi TV Box with Android TV will be released in Taiwan as early as the fourth quarter
Xiaomi Taiwan has only revealed that new products will be introduced to the Taiwanese market, including new routers and power banks, but has not yet revealed further details. The company will continue its monthly product launch model. However, regarding highly anticipated products like water purifiers, rice cookers, and the Yi smart light bulb, Xiaomi Taiwan stated that these are primarily due to import tariffs and other costs. Furthermore, these products must be approved by Taiwanese certification bodies, and there may also be issues with voltage stability.
As for the Mi TV and Mi Box series products, Xiaomi Taiwan still stated that due to considerations such as content licensing and cooperation, it will not consider introducing them into the Taiwanese market for the time being. However, during Google I/O 2016, the US version of the Mi Box, which announced its cooperation with Google and is equipped with the new Android TV operating system, is expected to enter the Taiwanese market as early as the fourth quarter of this year and will be compatible with the full Google Play service. Xiaomi Taiwan also expects to integrate existing Taiwanese services such as Netflix into this product, and has also revealed the possibility of negotiating local content cooperation.
Xiaomi Home has no plans to expand its stores in Taiwan this year, but is considering collaborating with brand channels for counter displays.
Regarding the Xiaomi Stores that have already been opened in Taiwan, whether there are plans to continue opening stores in Taiwan in the future, or to expand to the central and southern regions, Xiaomi Taiwan stated that it does have such plans, but at the current stage the plan may not expand within this year. However, it will consider cooperating with brand channels and stores to display small counters and follow the service model of Xiaomi Home. However, there are no specific plans yet, and further news is expected to be revealed as early as this year.
Marketing model changes: no sales volume, no panic buying
Xiaomi Taiwan stated that it has gradually modified its previous sales model for new products in Taiwan, which required flash sales. Most products will now be available for pre-order immediately or within a week of the announcement. A few popular items may still require flash sales, primarily due to supply constraints. Currently, Xiaomi Taiwan's sales model in Taiwan will be direct sales upon arrival.
