Crazy sales of 8 billion! Shanghai's big sellers made a fortune in the niche market

Every spring, the demand for gardening tools and garden products surges in North America and other regions. Take the United States and Canada as an example. There are about 130 million households in the two countries, of which about 65% have private gardens. Statista has also done a statistics: there are about 250 million private gardens in the world, of which 100 million are concentrated in the United States.

In such a niche but potential-rich market, many Chinese sellers have shined, and the brand VEVOR is one of them.

According to information, VEVOR was founded in 2013 and is affiliated to Shanghai Sixun E-commerce Co., Ltd. It mainly sells MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) tools and equipment products, covering front and back yards, auto repair, residential and other scenarios . In other words, gardening tools are just one of VEVOR's categories.

After founding VEVOR, Si Shun's global sales have soared : it exceeded 600 million in 2017, and increased by 50% to 900 million the following year; by 2022, annual sales reached 8 billion .

During this period, Si Shun's business also covered more than 200 countries and regions including North America and Europe, with more than 10 million users; and established more than 60 warehouses in 16 countries on five continents around the world .

Such a brand is undoubtedly of reference and learning value for sellers. This year, the editor will take you to look at VEVOR's winning formula.

1. Clear positioning is important

This positioning refers to both the target market and the target users.

Take VEVOR as an example. Since its inception, VEVOR has focused on overseas markets, especially the European and American markets . On the one hand, because MRO tools are generally used in the field of industrial maintenance, such products naturally have B-end attributes, which makes many European and American MRO tool giants ignore the potential of the C-end market, and also gives VEVOR and other latecomers opportunities . On the other hand, labor costs in European and American countries are high, so the DIY culture is strong, which also makes these regions the main market for MRO tool retail .

The brand and product characteristics allow VEVOR to target middle-class men aged 35-55 , as this group prefers tools that are "professional and durable."

In terms of product design, VEVOR will also start from the market and user needs . For example, a watering hose that has recently become popular in the US region of TikTok, VEVOR took into account the characteristics of the changeable climate and vast land area in North America, and designed this hose to be weather-resistant and freely retractable. The reward for being close to the market and users is high sales and high sales. This retractable hose has sold 40,200 units in the US region of TikTok in just one year, with total sales exceeding US$3.44 million (approximately RMB 24.927 million).

2. Multi-category product line that "fully surrounds users"

Different from what we know as "deepening the vertical track", VEVOR chose the "distribution model" - starting with multiple scenarios and multiple categories at the same time to meet the segmented needs of different users .

This strategy can be seen from VEVOR's Amazon store. On Amazon, VEVOR's products cover 33 categories , including restaurants and food services, automobiles, material handling, lawn and garden, building and construction, sports, and plumbing. These 33 categories are further subdivided into several to dozens of different subcategories based on product functions and other characteristics.

On the independent website, VEVOR's product line covers 22 categories and more than 20,000 products . The front and back yard tool product line alone includes various gardening equipment and tools such as manual high-branch saws, backpack sprayers, gardening shears, lawn mowers, etc. These products meet the needs of home gardening enthusiasts and professional workers with their versatility, durability and easy operation.

3. A variety of sales channels, each with its own characteristics

In terms of sales channels, VEVOR adopts the strategy of multi-platform layout + independent station parallel.

In terms of third-party platforms, VEVOR has opened channels such as eBay and Walmart in addition to Amazon and TikTok Shop . These platforms have a huge user base and a mature trading system, providing VEVOR with more exposure and sales opportunities.

On Amazon , VEVOR has more than 30,000 SKUs, with its main positioning being "low price + multi-function" ; many of its products have become the top 1 BestSellers in their categories, including but not limited to commercial worktables & workstations, electric hoists, and air tool hose reels.

In TikTok Shop , VEVOR has sold more than 584,800 units and achieved total sales of US$46.42 million (about RMB 336 million) since it entered the platform in September 2023. Among them, influencers accounted for 71.64% of sales, and the influencers selected by VEVOR were almost all concentrated in the fields of home improvement, DIY, and life.

At the same time, VEVOR will also adjust product categories and promotion strategies according to the needs of users in different channels, countries and regions . For example, on Amazon's US site, VEVOR will mainly promote home improvement tools and car repair equipment to cater to the high demand of local consumers for home and car maintenance; on the European site, it will promote more building and construction equipment.

Here we need to introduce VEVOR's independent website in detail . According to data, VEVOR's independent website received more than 7.7 million visits in January this year, ranking first in the industry; direct traffic accounted for 37.94% . Not only that, the average monthly visits to VEVOR's independent website in 2024 will also reach 7 million to 8 million . This is inseparable from VEVOR's meticulous operation of the independent website:

First of all, vevor.com supports multiple languages ​​and currencies . For users, using their native language can help them understand product features, prices and other information more accurately and quickly, improving the user experience .

Secondly, the navigation bar of vevor.com is very clear . Vevor.com has classified all products in great detail. Although there are more than 300,000 products on the website, VEVOR has classified the products more carefully according to specific usage needs in a large scenario. As a user, this classification is quite intuitive and simple. For a brand with a rich product line, this is extremely important .

In addition, vevor.com also has "DIY Projects and Guides" and "Members Club" . The former includes shopping guides, expert advice, DIY project guides and influencer videos, which introduce in detail how users should choose the right materials and tools, professional skills and tips, etc., greatly satisfying the needs of DIY enthusiasts.

The latter has designed a tiered membership system - individual membership and professional membership - to reward and attract customers with different needs. This system not only provides different benefits and discounts to different membership types , but also allows the brand to draw more rigorous and detailed conclusions when conducting market research and consumer behavior analysis .

It is worth mentioning that some analysts believe that Amazon is VEVOR's core source of revenue, TikTok Shop is VEVOR's fastest growing channel; and the independent site is the main battlefield for VEVOR's brand premium (the average order value is higher than that of Amazon and other channels); other channels such as eBay and Walmart serve as long-tail supplements.

4. Seize the traffic of social media such as TikTok

In terms of social media, VEVOR has also put in a lot of effort. In addition to cooperating with TikTok, small stores and influencers, it has also opened accounts on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

On YouTube, VEVOR works mainly come from official brand productions, including detailed introductions and usage methods of the main products; while on Instagram, like TikTok's official account, the content mainly consists of UGC, which is casual feedback from consumers, and the duration is basically maintained at about one minute.

5. Product quality, after-sales service and other aspects should not be ignored

Of course, the success of a brand also depends on product quality and after-sales service. Judging from many user reviews, many consumers appreciate the reliability, firmness and toughness of VEVOR tools and equipment ; in terms of after-sales service, the brand provides a 12-month warranty and a 30-day no-reason return and exchange policy, which provides consumers with full purchasing confidence. In addition, VEVOR will also conduct marketing based on seasonal characteristics, launch appropriate product combinations, and use promotional means such as limited-time discounts and bundled sales to stimulate user purchases.

Although VEVOR is a hot seller in the tool category, there are many logics behind its success that are worth learning from. Sellers can learn from VEVOR's operating characteristics and strategic thinking, and combine their own business characteristics and market status to find a development path that suits them, thereby injecting new impetus into business growth.

Big Sell

Niche track