Xiaomi’s grand opening of its first self-managed store in Funan spearheads renewed commitment to Singaporean users
The remade Funan store is the first of its many steps to bringing Xiaomi closer to Singaporeans and vice versa. We spoke to Xiaomi’s General Manager for Southeast Asia to learn all about its intentions. #xiaomi #singapore
Xiaomi Store at Funan. Photo: HWZ.
Make Funan great again
If you haven’t heard, the new Xiaomi Store at Funan had its grand opening on 21 December 2024. In official statements, Xiaomi said it’s “self-managed” and effectively replaces the old Funan Mall shopfront that relocated to Lavender Street.
The new shop joins the existing eight outlets operated by its long-time authorised distributor, which has served Singaporeans on behalf of Xiaomi since its entrance to Singapore in 2014.
Trivia: When Xiaomi ventured out of China in 2014, its first port of call for global expansion was Singapore. The company launched the Xiaomi Mi 3 here, and the phone sold out in mere minutes — twice.
According to Xiaomi, the new self-managed store features a broader range of SKUs of the same products that users are already familiar with. These include its smart home appliances, such as rice cookers and robot vacuum cleaners, its extremely popular smartphone range, trinkets like multi-purpose electric screwdrivers, powerful USB cables of all lengths, and colourful Xiaomi-branded pens.
Xiaomi Store at Funan, from the inside looking out. Photo: HWZ.
Xiaomi added that it now has approximately 300 SKUs, with about 100+ on display in the new store. These products are also available on the recently launched self-managed retail portal, mi.com/sg.
This means Xiaomi users in Singapore who have been hunting for a specific model of a Xiaomi TV might have a better chance of finding it at the new store or on the company's self-managed online retail portal and having it delivered within days.
The unboxing station that doubles a resting point for Xiaomi shoppers. Photo: HWZ.
To improve the buying experience, a new unboxing station was implemented within the Funan Mall outlet. This station allows users to immediately unbox their purchases at a counter that doubles as a resting spot. The new Xiaomi self-managed store at Funan Mall also uses a new internal operational system with a more efficient business analysis and stock allocation process. This refreshed retail model (SI 4.5) is the same system currently deployed in Xiaomi stores in China.
Trivia: There are now 1,300+ Xiaomi stores across the globe.
Xiaomi's sudden decision to shove its little rice balls into Singapore’s face after years of proxy love raises questions. A cynical observer might see this as an erosion of local involvement, as the new Xiaomi Store at Funan Mall feels detached from its existing distribution network (as seen in our previous sleuthing regarding the Xiaomi 15 series coming to Singapore).
We spoke to Alex Tang, General Manager, Southeast Asia, Xiaomi International, for clarifications.
If you want it done right, do it yourself
Xiaomi Store at Funan has a wide range of Xiaomi-branded products, with 300 SKUs for users to ask, try, and buy. Photo: HWZ.
According to Xiaomi, the launch of its self-managed store in Singapore is an attempt to improve its current arrangement with authorised vendors and retailers worldwide. The Funan Mall outlet is a pilot model for its “new store image”.
Xiaomi wishes its existing partner network of retailers could deliver a consistent, high-quality shopping experience that meets its expectations. That means the company’s goal is for all Xiaomi Singapore outlets — self-managed or operated by authorised partners — to have the same look, feel, and variety as its online portal and new retail experience. For the shopper or Xiaomi fan, authorised stores should be indistinguishable from Xiaomi’s own stores.
Still, the brand felt it was not their place to tell others how to do business without personally experiencing the challenges. So, they had to lead by example: by setting up shop itself.
Retail manpower will still be filled from the local pool of employable Singapore residents and citizens, although this highly depends on each new store’s requirements.
Singaporeans already know what they want
We've tried several on-shelf display products to verify that users can try out Xiaomi goods before purchase. We were this close to being an in-store nuisance. Photo: HWZ.
In a landscape where online shopping is now the norm, Xiaomi also explained why it was necessary to have both an online store and a physical presence across the island.
Xiaomi, with its long history in Singapore, has two clear camps of users. The first, who are also likely HWZ readers, are users intimately familiar with the company’s broad range of products.
Short of a slight waiting period for free doorstep deliveries that can take anywhere from one to three working days, the local self-managed online shop lets users familiar with Xiaomi buy the items quickly, without the whole song and dance of visiting physical stores.
If you haven't paid attention to Xiaomi recently, you'll be surprised by its massive range of electronic goods. It's quite possible to furnish an entire home with mostly Xiaomi. Photo: HWZ.
In contrast, physical stores still serve as excellent touchpoints for users who want to see, try, and demo Xiaomi products before committing to a purchase. Xiaomi's insistence that the online and offline product ranges are identical further reinforces this.
Together, both platforms help assure consumers that the Xiaomi products peddled to them are authentic Xiaomi goods, which lets Xiaomi further capitalise on the trust it has earned among its consumers.
This is further bolstered by Xiaomi's internal observations of Singaporean consumers. It saw a 200% growth in tablet sales here this year, and noticed that Singaporean buyers have one of the highest purchase frequencies for its smartphones.
The Funan Mall outlet is only the beginning of its deeper Singapore expansion, with plans to open another self-managed store in 2025 (bringing it up to two new outlets). Its longer-term goal is to have more than 10 physical stores in 2025, including the eight shops by Xiaomi’s authorised partner.
Trivia: Xiaomi is exploring the possibility of bringing its EV range, the Xiaomi SU7, to Singapore, although no concrete plans are in place yet. The company will launch a new SUV for the Chinese market in June-July 2025.
Xiaomi Store at Funan
Xiaomi Store at Funan aims to be familar, but nonetheless better. Photo: HWZ.
Interested in visiting the new Xiaomi store? Details below.
Address
The Xiaomi Store at Funan
#03-08, 107 North Bridge Road
Singapore 179105
(Google Maps, Apple Maps, OneMap.gov)
If you want to know if it’s worth your time, you may also check out its expanded catalogue at its Singapore online retail portal, mi.com/sg.
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