One is a retired veteran, and the other is a state-owned enterprise that resigns, but relies on 3D printers to generate over 1.2 billion yuan in annual revenue

In 2015, Hong Yingsheng, a retired veteran born in Chaoshan, founded "Intelligent派", focusing on the business of selling STEM circuit kits Tuke.

In 2016, Chen Bo, who was working at China Post Group, came into contact with cross-border e-commerce. He resolutely gave up his iron rice bowl and joined the team to start Intelligent派.

Thus, two men with the same dream began their entrepreneurial journey at that time.

01

Annual Revenue of 1.2 Billion

At that time, cross-border e-commerce was booming, and with the advantage of the Hong family being engaged in electronic component distribution, "Intelligent派" quickly became the number one in the electronic components category on the Amazon e-commerce platform.

However, after that, they soon realized that the growth rate of performance was not sustainable, and there was an urgent need to find new growth points. So they turned their attention to the field of 3D printers.

At that time, in the consumer-grade 3D printer market, there were not many companies taking the photopolymerization technology route. In addition, the hardware cost of 3D printers was high, the cost of domestic branded machines was generally above $500, and overseas brands were even more than $1,000, which invisibly discouraged most consumers.

But Intelligent派, by integrating the domestic supply chain, found electronic components much lower than the market price, and with technological innovation, successfully reduced the price of 3D printers.

So in 2019, Intelligent派 launched its first 3D printing device in the $300 range with 2K printing precision—the "Mars" series, quickly opening up the market.

In 2021, sales of photopolymerization 3D printers exceeded 500,000 units. In 2022, the company's total revenue exceeded 800 million RMB, with annual sales increasing sixfold.In 2023, sales exceeded 1.2 billion, and it has become one of the leaders in the domestic desktop 3D printer industry.

The person in charge recently stated in an interview that Intelligent派's goal is to go public with an IPO in the next 3 to 5 years.

02

Intelligent派's Marketing Promotion and Key Strategies

Looking back at the path Intelligent派 took with 3D printers, its success is actually traceable. When the domestic industry was just starting and the situation was tense, Intelligent派 saw the fertile ground Tuke and plunged into the Tuke market.

With price advantages and excellent cost performance, it carved out a niche in the Tuke market share, and some even jokingly called Intelligent派's products the "killer" of industry prices.

But relying on this alone was not enough for Intelligent派 to achieve its current status. The key to its success lies in its unique Tuke strategy.

In terms of marketing, Intelligent派 did not, like other cross-border e-commerce companies, hand over its products to major sellers on Amazon, but firmly controlled its own sales channels, thus avoiding the later "Amazon platform account ban wave".

Moreover, 3D printers are a niche track, and selling within the system of major cross-border sellers is not as effective as self-operation. Therefore, Intelligent派's products later relied on diversified platforms such as Amazon and independent sites, with direct sales as the main focus, reducing intermediate links, improving response speed and customer satisfaction.

Secondly, Intelligent派 focuses on differentiated marketing, choosing photopolymerization 3D printers with higher technical difficulty and higher prices as the market entry point from the very beginning, the advantage being less competition and the ability to convert potential customers from the existing FDM user base.

Moreover, Intelligent派 maintains a very high speed in product iteration. Compared with traditional brands, its product update cycle is shorter, allowing new technologies to be applied to the market more quickly, meeting consumers' pursuit of innovation and cost performance.

In supply chain management, Intelligent派 works closely with suppliers to customize key components, reducing production costs and improving product quality. For example, the company jointly develops screen technology with upstream suppliers, driving technological progress in the entire industry. This cooperation model not only reduces costs but also ensures product competitiveness, allowing Intelligent派 to stand out in the 3D printer market.

In brand building, Intelligent派's ELEGOO brand name is deeply meaningful, symbolizing electronic technology and infinite possibilities, aiming to inspire users' innovative spirit.

Unlike other brands that focus on product sales first and then brand building, Intelligent派 took the lead in brand communication.This strategy helps establish brand advantages in the early stages of the market, laying a solid foundation for subsequent sales activities.

Specific strategies include social media marketing on TikTok, Facebook, search engine optimization (SEO), and organizing offline events.

This multi-channel promotion and sales strategy helps reach a wider potential user base, while also enhancing interaction and communication with users, bringing more extra traffic to sales portals such as independent sites.

So far, Intelligent派 has accumulated more than 200,000 followers through social media channels, with over 1 million cumulative users, of which TikTok followers account for 100,000, becoming a natural source of traffic.

Currently, 3D printers have reached many fields such as education and scientific research, model toys and figures, fashion design, DIY makers, prototyping for small businesses and startups, and the medical industry, bringing more convenience to people's lives.

Intelligent派 is also committed to further popularizing 3D printing technology, creating an innovation ecosystem centered on 3D printing, making this technology a part of daily life and providing more possibilities for consumers.

According to a recent report by global technology research and consulting company Technavio, the 3D printer market is expected to grow by $30 billion from 2024 to 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 23.16%.

The growing demand for personalized products from consumers is driving a paradigm shift in the B2B sector. Desktop 3D printing technology, with its affordability and powerful features, is enabling businesses to effectively respond to increasingly diverse customer needs, thereby improving service standards and promoting profitability.

From this perspective, current 3D printing is undoubtedly seen as a high-potential "blue ocean" market, attracting more and more companies to participate.

However, due to fierce competition among enterprises, involving competition in technology, marketing, production, and price, the challenges are increasing. Enterprises need to continuously focus on production efficiency and market dynamics while maintaining product innovation and differentiation in order to maintain an advantage in the fierce competition of the future.