The impact of social distancing during the Covid-19 lockdown could result in greater demand for IoT-enabled devices as the concept of smart homes would grow across Indian cities. And Xiaomi believes that it is prepared to deliver the right solutions.
A senior official at Xiaomi India believes that connected smart home solutions and IoT devices would see a bump post the lockdown relaxation. The company believes that social distancing would be around longer and any device helping to drive the same will find traction with households, Chief Business Officer Raghu Reddy says.
He is quoted by the IndianExpress.com as saying that the smart home category would see increased traction in the coming weeks and months as people seek to reduce the number of users touching connected devices at home.
The Xiaomi smart home devices include smart lighting, wi-fi routers, air purifiers, sockets and sensors, kitchen appliances and cleaning gear. Reddy also refers to the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P robotic vacuum cleaner as an important innovation that makes sense in a home practicing social distancing.
The smart home concept involves connecting various domestic appliances and controlling it remotely using a smartphone. The idea has gained popularity in the West though in India the acceptance has been low with only specific gadgets such as Google Nest making some inroads.
The Xiaomi official says any device that reduces a family's dependence on the domestic help would be of value in the coming months. The vacuum cleaner was launched by Xiaomi recently through its crowdfunding platform.
The company had announced earlier this month that it was extending the crowdfunding platform in India up to June 15, given that the lockdown got extended twice thereafter. Due to the lockdown, users in the metro cities weren't able to place orders, given that they were all part of the red zone.
The company had initially placed a ceiling of 10,000 units before it started manufacture of the appliances, but Reddy says these limits have now been removed and users can pre-order the robotic vacuum cleaner right away with shipments likely in September.
