Xiaomi plans to launch US e-commerce site this year

Xiaomi is a rising star, particularly in the eastern markets. But what about the western world? Many us in the tech universe have been anticipating the eventual launch of Xiaomi products in the western world, and at a special meeting in San Francisco Xiaomi revealed to the media (AA’s Josh Vergara included) that this day may soon be approaching.

Before you get too excited, yes Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra publicly stated that they are planning to bring the “Mi.com” e-commerce site to the US market later this year, but the launch of phones or tablets isn’t in the pipeline. Instead, Xiaomi’s many peripherals will be the focus, such as headphones, power packs, fitness trackers and devices like the MiKey.

While selling accessories isn’t as big of deal as a phone launch would be, you have to start somewhere.It’s also worth noting that Xiaomi has been pretty aggressive with pricing of said accessories in its current markets, so hopefully this low pricing scheme translates over to the United States’ Xiaomi e-commerce website as well.

Wondering when we can expect to see the store? Unfortunately, there’s no timeline set. Xiaomi says the US e-commerce launch will happen whenever it’s ready. Baby steps, we suppose. What do you think, excited to see Xiaomi stepping into the US market, even if it’s in limited form at this stage?