Xiaomi, the world's third-largest smartphone maker, is developing a full-fledged e-commerce business model for its phones and other devices. The company is reportedly planning to introduce the model in the Indian market soon.

Xiaomi India head Manu Kumar Jain told Jagran Post that they are looking to invest in few startup technology companies to develop an eco-system. He said investment would be made in setting up e-commerce business including warehouse and logistics.

Currently the major portion of the Chinese smartphone maker's sales come through its portal (me.com) and channel partners Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal. Xiaomi will also be investing in expanding research and development centre in Bengaluru, setting up a manufacturing facility and expanding exclusive sales and service network.

According to the report, the R&D centre in Bengaluru currently employs only four professionals but it will have a 100-member team by the end of this year. The team will design new mobile technology features for Indian consumers.

Jain said in the report that the company was in talks with various state governments for setting up its manufacturing facility. It plans to make the phones through a contractual manufacturer. Xiaomi has sold over a million smartphones in the first four months of its entry into the Indian market in July 2014, making it the fifth-largest player in the domestic market with a share of 4%. The five-year-old company, which rolled out its first smartphone in August 2011, sold 61.1 million units globally last year, as against 18.7 million units in 2013.

The company is also looking at introducing non-phone products like smart Internet-connected devices in the Indian market. It plans to launch Xiaomi Mi Box, a tiny box that turns an ordinary TV into a smart TV, by the end of 2015. Xiaomi smart TV will be available by 2016.

According to Jain, Xiaomi was also aggressively looking at parking investments in Indian startups, especially in the areas of Internet technology and connected devices. One of the top angel investors in China, it has already invested in over 20 startups in the home country.

In April this year, Chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ltd Ratan Tata acquired a stake in Xiaomi making this the first investment by any Indian in the Chinese handset maker.