From start-up to billion dollar cross-border sales, 90s Dongguan moms become tent queens

With the rise of the global camping market, outdoor products have become a rapidly growing popular category. Although the domestic outdoor market started relatively late, Chinese outdoor brands have still secured a place in the global market thanks to a mature full-category supply chain, ushering in a golden period of development.GeerTop Outdoor is a typical representative among them.

01 Single Product Sells 100 Million

In 2016, GeerTop Outdoor was established in Dongguan, and the founder is a “Dongguan mom” born in 1993. At that time, most overseas sellers chose popular categories such as apparel and 3C, but GeerTop Outdoor targeted the outdoor market in Europe and America, entering the overseas market with the GeerTop brand.

Initially, GeerTop mainly focused on smart home products, but due to a lack of market response, it quickly shifted to the outdoor sports market, focusing on tents as a single product.

To achieve differentiated competition, GeerTop launched the world’s first tent with embedded fiber optic electronic components. This tent can adjust its color, and once launched, it quickly attracted the interest of overseas consumers, with its popularity soaring on social media.

With this innovative product, GeerTop quickly built up brand awareness,achieving sales of 100 million yuan in its first year. Now, after years of development, GeerTop has become a leading player in the outdoor market, with products sold in more than 70 countries worldwide and sales ranking steadily in the top ten in markets such as the United States and Japan.

To meet the growing demand for orders, GeerTop Outdoor has also set up overseas warehouses in multiple locations in Europe and America, and has become an official partner brand of the U.S. Embassy.

02 The Popularity and Potential of the Outdoor Market

In recent years, as health awareness has increased, more and more people are keen to pursue self-healing through outdoor sports. Hiking, cycling, camping, climbing and other outdoor activities have gradually shifted from niche to mainstream, driving the booming development of the outdoor sports consumer market.  

According to data, as early as 2021, the global online sales of sports and outdoor categories reached an astonishing $179.3 billion. It is expected that from 2021 to 2025, the market size will continue to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.86%, reaching $234.3 billion in 2025.

Sales growth of outdoor sports products on Amazon US, image source: Momentum Commerce

In such a market environment, many outdoor brands have achieved impressive results and rapid business growth. In addition to GeerTop,another brand focusing on outdoor tents, MobiGarden, has also been very successful.

MobiGarden, which transformed from an OEM factory to an independent brand, has seen its revenue climb year after year. In the first three quarters of 2023, its revenue reached 1.155 billion yuan.

There is also the outdoor brand SAGUARO shoes, which mainly produces hiking shoes, water shoes, barefoot shoes, etc. Thanks to meticulous product quality and social media marketing, the brand achieved sales in the tens of millions within a year of entering Amazon Japan. On TikTok Shop, the brand’s products are also very popular, topping the monthly sales chart for footwear with sales of about $390,000.

03 The Power of Social Media

The reason these outdoor brands have become major cross-border sellers, in addition to the overall environment, is that their successful marketing on social media is also a key part of their brand strategy.

Take GeerTop as an example. Although GeerTop initially started its business through Alibaba International, it has cooperated with many mid- and long-tail KOLs and KOCs on social media such as Facebook,Instagram,and TikTok, giving GeerTop’s tent products wide exposure and recommendations, which in turn drove traffic to its independent site and boosted brand sales.

For example, a blogger with hundreds of thousands of followers showcased the use of GeerTop tents in a video, sparking great interest and purchase desire among viewers.

In addition, GeerTop’s success is also related to its emphasis on brand building. GeerTop’s founder, Liu Shiyun, knows well that a strong brand requires not only high-quality products but also a good brand image and reputation. To maintain the brand, Liu Shiyun has made great efforts during the entrepreneurial process.

Once, a customer ordered tents worth 2 million yuan, but found a problem with the zipper after use. After investigation, it was found that a zipper supplier had used inferior materials. To protect the brand’s reputation, Liu Shiyun decisively chose to refund the full amount and change suppliers. This move not only won the customer’s trust but also demonstrated GeerTop’s strict requirements for product quality.

“GeerTop is a brand I have built with my heart, and I will not allow it to be damaged in the slightest.” said Liu Shiyun.

It is precisely this strict requirement for the brand that has enabled GeerTop to establish a good reputation in the market and become a brand trusted by consumers.

Overall, the global outdoor sports market is full of opportunities and can provide broad development space for many cross-border e-commerce sellers. In the future, we can expect to see more major sellers emerge in this track.

As for GeerTop, continuing to innovate products, expand markets, and optimize brand marketing strategies will surely help it maintain a leading position in the fierce market competition and achieve even greater success.