Weibo Recently Teamed With Xiaomi To Sell MI2 Smartphone#
One month after launching its WeiboPay service and partnering with China's leading budget smartphone maker Xiaomi to sell its MI2 device, today Sina Weibo launched a new campaign to sell a slightly larger object: a special edition Smart Fourtwo. Limited to only 666 units, users can pre-register to purchase the striking yellow-and-blue Chinese New Year model (unveiled earlier today) through January 18. In addition to the usual bells and whistles, the vehicle comes accompanied by a special blue exterior decal and necklace -- featuring a snake weaving through the Smart logo -- created by jewelry designer
Bao Bao Wan#
If selected, lottery-style, on January 18, buyers then must pay a 1,999 yuan (US$321) deposit before January 21. Then, starting on January 24, selected buyers will be contacted directly by their local Smart dealer to make the final purchase (128,888 yuan, $20,724). Though not the first time a Chinese platform has sold a car -- here Lamborghini's Tmall store springs to mind -- this is a big step for Sina Weibo into the world of O2O (online-to-offline) e-commerce, possibly testing the waters for even bigger and better brand partnerships.
In advance of the buyer registration launch on January 18, Weibo users can retweet a message promoting the contest through the official campaign page for the chance to win an iPad (three winners), Smart backpack (100), Smart/Weibo stuffed animal (1,500), or Smart keychain (600).
