Xiaomi's popularity in India has gone beyond expectations. Xiaomi commenced another sale for its budget-friendly Redmi 1S on Tuesday. With 40,000 units in hand during the opening sale on September 9, the largest Chinese smartphone maker witnessed its stock of available units go to nil in a matter of seconds, 4.5 seconds to be precise.
Xiaomi confirmed the flash sale via Facebook and Twitter. The company also revealed details of the next sale on Sept. 16, for which the mandatory registration process begins 6 p.m. IST Tuesday. Redmi 1S is Xiaomi's second smartphone debuted in India and has received an impressive response similar to the Xiaomi Mi3. Xiaomi's Redmi 1S debut follows six successful flash sales of Mi3, which can also mean the latest budget smartphone has a few more sales ahead.
Mi fans, we <3 you. Thanks! https://t.co/H8GdKvulca - Registration for our next sale starts at 6 pm. =) pic.twitter.com/xT7j0yOPx5
— Mi India (@MiIndiaOfficial) September 9, 2014
The first flash sale for 40,000 Redmi 1S units lasted for just 4.2 seconds. Xiaomi sells its handsets exclusively via Flipkart, India's renowned online retail store. The strategy is similar to Motorola's Moto G but the demand for the Chinese phone maker is comparatively huge. In two sales, Xiaomi has managed to sell 80,000 units of Redmi 1S, based on the company's stock announcements prior to the sale. Xiaomi took at least four flash sales to reach the same milestone for its high-end Mi3 smartphone, mainly due to the smaller number of units made available.
Despite the successful sales, Xiaomi hasn't managed to keep all Indian consumers happy. Several buyers have complained about the company's limited sales strategy. Some buyers also accused the phone maker of creating a demand on purpose by offering limited handsets. The company has constantly received more than 100,000 registrations for its phones on Flipkart, which should give Xiaomi a clue about the demand. Every time a user misses the online sale, he/she must register again to be able to buy the phone in the next sale.
The company will open registrations for the Sept. 16 sale shortly and is most likely to bring 40,000 units once again. The handset sells for just $99 or 5,999 in Indian currency.
Lucky bidders who managed to secure a handset will receive a complimentary Micro-SIM card sleeve and Screen Protector in the next 2-4 working days.
