????小米殺入非洲了！

????小米手機(jī)以低價(jià)“高質(zhì)”廣受歡迎，一度成為全球估值最高的創(chuàng)業(yè)公司。隨著中國(guó)內(nèi)地智能手機(jī)銷售增長(zhǎng)放緩，小米為保持增速正努力拓展海外市場(chǎng)，最新進(jìn)展是，小米已打入非洲的尼日利亞、肯尼亞和南非。

????小米在中國(guó)崛起的獨(dú)門絕技是輕資產(chǎn)模式：不設(shè)實(shí)體店，沒有下屬工廠，幾乎不花錢做市場(chǎng)推廣。

????可這次小米在非洲和南非公司Mobile in Africa Limited的合作模式卻截然不同：對(duì)越來越商品化的智能手機(jī)仍然選擇了傳統(tǒng)的銷售方式。《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》報(bào)道指出，小米的南非合作伙伴會(huì)負(fù)責(zé)小米手機(jī)在非洲的進(jìn)口和營(yíng)銷工作，并提供售后服務(wù)。

????從印度、巴西到現(xiàn)在的非洲市場(chǎng)，如果采用與當(dāng)?shù)馗?jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手相同的模式，小米要怎樣贏得理想的市場(chǎng)份額我們尚不清楚。

????比如在印度，自去年進(jìn)入該市場(chǎng)以來，今年第三季度小米的銷售業(yè)績(jī)首次出現(xiàn)環(huán)比下滑，當(dāng)季降幅接近46%。市場(chǎng)調(diào)研機(jī)構(gòu)Counterpoint Research認(rèn)為，如此大跌源于“聯(lián)想和印度本地手機(jī)制造巨頭Micromax的Yu品牌等對(duì)手的激烈競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，特別是在銷量更高的100美元以下手機(jī)市場(chǎng)。”如今，小米在印度的市場(chǎng)占有率還未擠進(jìn)前五強(qiáng)。說到底，小米在印度市場(chǎng)站穩(wěn)腳跟比開發(fā)上述三個(gè)非洲國(guó)家更為重要，那三個(gè)國(guó)家的人口加起來，都趕不上印度人口的五分之一。

????另外，小米在大本營(yíng)中國(guó)內(nèi)地的表現(xiàn)也不容樂觀，挑戰(zhàn)不僅來自市場(chǎng)飽和，還有中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的對(duì)手一直在努力從小米手中奪走龍頭位置。市場(chǎng)調(diào)研公司易觀國(guó)際此前表示，三季度華為已超越小米，在內(nèi)地市場(chǎng)的占有率晉升第一。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：Pessy

????審校：夏林

????On to Africa!

????Once the world’s most valuable startup, Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker praised for cheap but ‘high-spec’ phones, is expanding sales to Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa in a bid to keep smartphone growth growing as its home market in mainland China slows down.

????Driving Xiaomi’s ascent in China was as a capital-light business: no stores, no company-owned factories, little paid marketing.

????The deal in Africa, with South Africa-based Mobile in Africa Limited, is much the opposite: a traditional approach with an increasingly commoditized product in smartphones. Xiaomi’s South African partner will lead imports, marketing and support for phones sales, the Wall Street Journal noted.

????It’s unclear how Xiaomi will gain traction in markets like India, Brazil and now Africa, as it has said it wants to, if it follows the same model as local competitors.

????In India this past quarter, for instance, Xiaomi’s sales experienced their first quarter-to-quarter decline after expanding there last year— almost a 46% tumble “due to fierce competition from Lenovo and Micromax’s Yu brands especially in the higher volume sub-$100 segment,” says Counterpoint Research. It doesn’t rank in India’s top five market share. And if anything, Xiaomi needs to be present in India than it does in those three African markets, all of which together have barely one-fifth of India’s population.

????Xiaomi’s also hurting in its home market of mainland China, and that’s more than just a result of market saturation. IChinese competitors have stepped up their efforts to steal Xiaomi’s crown. Research firm Canalys said Huawei passed Xiaomi for the highest market share in the third quarter.