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Xiaomi Mi3 out of stock problems inevitable

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The arrival of the Xiaomi Mi3 smartphone in India has seen a huge amount of interest. This phone has a lot to offer and the Xiaomi Mi3 price in India is extremely competitive, so it’s no surprise that it has been in demand. However, the sales strategy between the manufacturer and Flipkart meant that Xiaomi Mi3 out of stock problems were inevitable.

Back in July we informed readers about the Flipkart exclusivity for this phone in India, and with Flipkart being the largest e-commerce site in India that might have seemed like a sensible move. Xiaomi must have known there would be big interest in the Mi3 in India though, as the phone sold out quickly when it went on sale in China and Malaysia.

As we expected. it soon proved difficult to buy the Xiaomi Mi3 online as initial stocks sold out fast. At the beginning of August we reported that Xiaomi was to supply a further 15,000 units of the phone for sale in India on August 5th, and that this would be the third batch of stock to go on sale there. The problem here is that Xiaomi said they had already received 100,000 registrations, so the Mi3 stock problems were evident even before the units went on sale.

Xiaomi has also come in for some flak concerning blazingly quick online sell-outs, with claims that the company has been misleading. Many now feel that the way that sales of the Xiaomi Mi3 have been handled for India has been a marketing failure of mass proportions, and could have negative repercussions for both Xiaomi and Flipkart.

Many potential buyers have complained about the registration system required, that doesn’t even guarantee that you’ll get a unit and only means that customers have a chance of obtaining it. There has also been criticism about Flipkart being unable to cope with the heavy traffic, with reports of the site crashing and the Xiaomi Mi3 being out of stock so soon after sales went live.

Xiaomi Mi3 out of stock problems b

In fact it was reported that the second and third batches that had been available sold out in a matter of seconds. Some of this was said to be due to Flipkart changing the way that sales were being handled, with shoppers only needing to add the item to their carts without immediate payment.

All of this has led some people to question how many units of the Xiaomi Mi3 have actually been available and whether it is as many as has been claimed. Other have wondered about the wisdom of a registration system that enabled so many to think they had a chance of getting the phone when such limited numbers were on offer.

Given the problems so far it’s not surprising that some customers got fed up and have now opted for another smartphone instead. Xiaomi must now be questioning whether the online exclusivity plan with Flipkart was the best course of action. With so many customers frustrated about the Xiaomi Mi3 out of stock situation, this is negativity that the company could well have done without.

To find out more about the phone please check out our previous Xiaomi Mi3 articles here, where you’ll see that there has been a huge amount of positivity for the handset itself. Bearing this in mind it seems a real shame that Xiaomi hasn’t handled sales of this device in India well, especially when the demand was there. We’d really like to know what you think about the sales strategy between Xiaomi and Flipkart for the Mi3 in India.

Are you one of the lucky ones who already managed to get their hands on this phone? Maybe you are one of the many disappointed potential buyers of this phone, in which case are you still hoping to get the Xiaomi Mi3 or have you now purchased another handset? Do let us know with your comments.

Comments

16 thoughts on “Xiaomi Mi3 out of stock problems inevitable”

  1. soutrik says:

    I managed to order one today, I think they should really cope up with the demands to keep their good will .
    Though they know they consumers won’t get an offer like that anywhere else , with whatever brand .

  2. yashraj says:

    GOT it finally. i was all set up for the sale,with 12 mbps internet speed, almost killed my mouse by putting massive pressure on it while clicking the buy button. eagerly waiting for the delivery. NO ROCKET SCIENCE GUYZ, BLOW THE HORN NEXT TIME 😉

  3. Coolestnapster007 says:

    with 12 mbps internet broadband speed, finally i got my hands on xiaomi mi3 <3 I wont give up on such a high end smartphone at such an affordable price tag.

  4. heides says:

    To make things truly fair, Flipkart and Xiaomi should only allow 25% extra registrations > than the # of handsets available and keep booking time only until 6 hours post the sale. The handsets that don’t get booked by then should be reclaimed by the supplier and added to the next sale.

    It is totally absurd to let lakhs of people to register and then knowingly only deliver the handset to a fraction of the lucky people. It seems best for the majority to wait for a better config, brand and price point than dwell in this madness of a sale.

    It is human nature to look forward to something very badly and then get really, really disappointed at having missed it by nano seconds. The regret keeps playing on one’s mind all the time and that’s where Flipkart and Xiaomi are truly damaging their good reputation so far.

    If the negativity reaches a boiling point, people will stay away from future Flipkart and Xiaomi gimmicks rather than feel bad and low.

    For the lucky folks who get it, it will be an achievement for sometime and then become a regular device in their life at a good price until of course, Xiaomi or some other brand comes up with a better product on a similar price point and disappoints people yet again.

  5. Chetan says:

    Only one color and one storage option and over that u don’t get it even after registering. I clicked the buy now button the second the sale stated but it went of of stock. Not within seconds but milliseconds. Decided to go with a Samsung phone instead and i know ten more people who are going for different phones instead of mi3. Excessive use of marketing hype doesn’t pay well in a crowded market segment.

  6. Mahesh says:

    I have registered for all the 4 sales and clicked in the very first second when sale started. As soon as i clicked buy option, it was out of stock. Frustrated a lot. It looks like flipkart is just playing a number game and it is purely marketing strategy. MI3 launched in India only through flipkart. But surprisingly if you look at the Ebay online website planty of MI3 phones are available for sale and easily we can get for 18K to 22K range. It is also mentioned in ebay web that flipkart will deliver directly. So there is a something behind the screen and not legally sales happening.

  7. Sintu says:

    Its my money, my choice and my comfort…..Why should I feel helpless despite paying for it…?
    There have been so many others trying to monopolize in the past but were soon thrown out of track….
    Sorry…am moving out….and when I get to see one in the offing, I would like to evaluate its worthiness at that point of time…Bye for now Xiaomi…good luck.

  8. Ravi Singh says:

    Flipkart should raise the count of distribution of handset as they have good
    enough experience of demand of this Phone, but keeping such strategy, rising deserted
    feeling in its customers.

  9. ajit phadtrae says:

    i tried 3 times on flipkart bt failed to book. finally i changed my mood and booked “alcatel idol +” a best competitor. xiaomi loose one customer and i think there r so many like me. i didn’t get the strategy of such marketing..its really humerous.if u hav limited stocks thn whats the use of registration. registration is to know counting of interested people to buy mobile. Flipkart knows,they have over 1 lacs registration and still they r selling max 20k pieces. I think xiaomi is too little company to meet this requirement. and now i guaranteed if they produce large quantity mobile,quality may get degrade. so think before buy.

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