Chaoshan people are really good at doing business. The hardware market has gone global and sold 300 million yuan in a year

The Chaoshan region has always been known for its strong commercial atmosphere and business acumen. The young people here have inherited the business wisdom of their predecessors, constantly innovating and making breakthroughs in various fields.

Lin Shaowu, an entrepreneur born after 1985, is an outstanding representative among them. With his keen market insight and relentless efforts, he has achieved remarkable results in the field of cross-border e-commerce.

In 2023, the company he founded, Guangdong Rongyijia Technology Co., Ltd. achieved annual sales exceeding 300 million yuan, becoming a dark horse in the cross-border hardware tools market.

Image source: Rongyijia official website

Lin Shaowu's entrepreneurial journey began after graduating from university in 2007. At that time, he resolutely decided to start a business and chose the field of hardware products. Hardware products do not expire or deteriorate easily, and the market risk is relatively low. These characteristics made him optimistic about this market.

In addition, his father ran a hardware factory, and the family's resources and connections provided valuable support for his entrepreneurship.

In the early days of his business, Lin Shaowu rented a store near the school and started a traditional foreign trade business, running around various exhibitions every day and promoting products face-to-face. Although it was hard work, he firmly believed that as long as he persisted, he would definitely succeed.

Image: Guangdong Rongyijia owner Lin Shaowu

The pandemic in 2020 dealt a huge blow to the global economy, but for Lin Shaowu, it was an important opportunity for transformation.

During the pandemic, almost all offline exhibitions were canceled and traditional foreign trade channels were blocked. Lin Shaowu realized that change was necessary. So, he decisively shifted to online, selling products to the global market through major e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba International. In this process, he not only listed products for sale, but also deeply studied the demand characteristics of each market and operated each e-commerce store with refined management.

For example, in the Southeast Asian market, he focuses on moderately priced basic hardware tools; in the North American market, he launched high-end smart lifting cabinets to meet the needs of consumers in different regions. This differentiated market strategy enabled him to quickly stand out on major platforms.

Image: Rongyijia's store on Alibaba International

Like Lin Shaowu's Rongyijia, another company that chose the hardware industry for cross-border expansion and became a leading enterprise is the tool equipment retail brand VEVOR under Shanghai Sisun E-commerce Co., Ltd.

The difference is that VEVOR adopts a comprehensive approach of social media + e-commerce platforms + independent websites.

It explores the market through multiple sales channels such as Amazon, TikTok, eBay, and independent websites, and is one of the leading sellers in the relevant field in China. In September 2023, VEVOR launched a TikTok shop and achieved sales of over $1 million in May this year.

Analyzing the reasons, these impressive sales figures are inseparable from the full support of TikTok influencers. Data shows that VEVOR's store sales on TikTok mainly benefit from influencer marketing videos.

For example, an affiliate influencer with about 200,000 followers can generate about $220,700 in sales for VEVOR.

Affiliate influencer sales data Image source: kalodata

For this reason, VEVOR attaches great importance to its business layout and marketing promotion on TikTok, and has now accumulated 47,000 followers.

In addition, for cross-border merchants, choosing the right category is the key to achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Choice is more important than effort. Choosing the right category for going global can avoid many detours and seize more money-making opportunities.

Whether it is Lin Shaowu's Rongyijia or VEVOR, they have both deeply cultivated their chosen tracks, so their product categories are very rich, enabling them to better cope with changes in the market environment and always stay at the forefront of the times.

Although the situation is always changing, the future track of going global is still worth pursuing. Domestic players should bravely face difficulties, explore more business opportunities, and strive to make "Made in China" reach every corner of the world.