HTC is set to start operating its own online store in its home market of Taiwan. This has been known ever since December, when HTC North Asia President Jack Tong made the plans official. The store will officially open at 10 pm local time on February 4.
The move is said to be all about better positioning HTC to compete head-on with Chinese competitors such as Xiaomi when it comes to the sales of cheap smartphones.
As you may know, Xiaomi employs an online-only business model, and HTC is apparently willing to test whether the online channel could help it achieve better sales in Taiwan. However, the company remains cautious about its new venture. According to the aforementioned exec, HTC expects just 10% of its revenue in Taiwan to come from the online store.
For starters, it will offer willing customers two phone models: the Desire 816G, and the Desire 526G (pictured above). These are rather affordable midrangers, so HTC isn’t looking to experiment with selling its flagship One (M8) in this way just yet. Perhaps if the store is successful, the company will replicate it across Asia.
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