Can you believe it? A 2-minute video explaining an automatic cat litter box has actually garnered over 46 million views on TikTok! In the comments section, many people even said that although they don’t have a cat at home, they still watched the entire video…

 

Image source:TikTok

And the creator of this traffic miracle is none other than the Chinese smart pet product brand PetPivot.

With this automatic cat litter box priced at $199,PetPivotachieved sales of over 200 million yuan in just 7 months in the US market, and successfully topped the TikTok Shop pet category ranking.

So, how did this Shenzhen-based entrepreneurial team led by “post-90s” and “post-00s” use the strategy of “product subtraction, marketing addition” to blaze a new trail in the fiercely competitive cross-border Tuke field?

 

Image source:PetPivot

Market Pain Points: Discovering Blue Ocean Opportunities

According to information, the entrepreneurial story of the PetPivot brand began in the summer of 2023.

At that time, Poppy, who had been deeply involved in cross-border e-commerce for years, found that although American pet-owning households spend over $1,000 annually, smart cat litter boxes, priced above $500, excluded the vast majority of consumers, with market penetration lingering below 6% for a long time.

As a seasoned “cat owner” with three cats, Poppy personally experienced the triviality and hassle of scooping litter every day. She tested several imported smart cat litter boxes, only to find that these products were not only expensive but also had safety risks and redundant functions.

At this point, she clearly realized that the real barrier in the industry lies in outdated product definitions and unbalanced cost performance. If a brand only falls into a low-level price war, it is destined not to go far.

The next opportunity is to develop products independently and create something new.

 

Image source:TikTok shop

Product Iteration: From “Function Stacking” to “Subtraction”

PetPivot's first-generation product adopted the mainstream design on the market at the time, but many problems were exposed during testing: loud motor noise, unstable APP connection, and risk of pinching cats.

The team decisively overturned the original plan. After in-depth research, they found that the core needs of American pet-owning families are safety, reliability, simple operation, and affordable price, rather than flashy smart features.

In September 2024, they emerged with a second-generation product that completely subverted the first-generation plan.

The new product adopts an open structure, eliminating the risk of injury and accommodating cats up to 25 lbs. At the same time, the team removed the networking function and focused on the core need of automatic scooping, reducing the failure rate by 80%.

This “product subtraction” strategy gave PetPivot a unique advantage in safety and cost performance, laying the groundwork for its subsequent explosion.

 

Image source:PetPivot

Social Media Breakthrough: Precise TikTok Operations

After the product launch, Poppy made a key decision: instead of sticking to the familiar comfort zone of Amazon, she chose TikTok Shop as the brand’s core battleground for breakthrough.

In the eyes of the PetPivot brand team, pets on TikTok are an immeasurable traffic track.

Indeed, according to data, on TikTok, there are already more than 21.4 million #pet-related videos, with total views exceeding hundreds of billions—this is a track with almost no upper limit.

 

Image source:TikTok

 

Image source:Echotik

After determining the direction, Lena, the co-founder responsible for PetPivot brand marketing, took TikTok influencer promotion as the brand’s first step on TikTok.

In terms of cooperation model, they initially abandoned the then mainstream pure commission system in the industry, and instead implemented a more forward-looking strategy: establishing deep trust with influencers through “upfront payment” and strictly selecting native creators who were already using manual cat litter boxes, ensuring authenticity in promotion.

At the same time, they insisted on “treating influencers as users and making content warm,” placing no restrictions on influencer creation—a principle that continues to this day.This point is still followed today.

 

Image source:TikTok

It is precisely this unrestricted content model that led TikTok influencers collaborating with the brand to create many fun videos together.

For example, influencer David Prince, during his collaboration with the brand, put a golden wig on the litter box, placed it in the passenger seat of a sports car, and took it on dates and proposals… with the caption “I’ve never been… so in love.”

This highly distinctive video quickly made waves on TikTok, with many users in the comments expressing their fondness for the PetPivot brand.

 

Image source:TikTok

Art influencer@kapgallery also made a creative collaboration video, simply painting on the automatic litter box and giving the product a brand new look.

This video eventually received 635,700 views on TikTok, with great results.

 

Image source:TikTok

This model of giving influencers creative freedom has paid off handsomely. According to data, TikTok influencer-driven sales have reached $9,458,400, accounting for 95.1% of the brand’s total sales.

 

Image source:Echotik

After influencer promotion began to show results,PetPivotbrandalso started operating its own official account.

Currently, its account@lazycat.clean has accumulated 3,141 followers, while @petpivot_official has reached 13,500 followers.

The content they publish is simple, mainly product demonstrations and spoken introductions, but thanks to the early accumulated buzz, video views generally stay above a thousand, and can even reach hundreds of thousands when performing well.

 

Image source:TikTok

Meanwhile, theyare also actively trying toTikToksell via live streaming through their own accounts, further expanding sales scenarios.

Currently, the brand’s official account@lazycat.clean has already tried several live streams, with viewer numbers steadily rising. Their live setup is simple, mainly highlighting special offers on the litter box, paired with quick explanations from the host.

Of course, for companies interested in Tuke but unsure how to build a live streaming system, partnering with professional managed service providers is also a suitable choice.

 

Image source:TikTok

 

Industry Perspective: The Vast Prospects of the Pet Economy

Today, the global pet economy is entering a period of rapid development. According to data, the global pet care market is expected to reach about $476.1 billion by 2034, compared to $256 billion in 2024.

The American Pet Products Association’s “2025 Pet Industry Status Report” also reveals strong market growth. Currently, the number of pet-owning households in the US has jumped from 82 million to 94 million in one year, with total sales expected to reach $157 billion in 2025.

Behind this series of data is a clear signal of the booming global pet economy.

From North America to Europe, from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, more and more families are treating pets as family members, and the spread of the “parenting-style pet raising” concept is creating huge market space.

For Chinese companies with a complete supply chain system and mature product development capabilities, now is the key opportunity to lay out overseas markets.

 

Image source:market.us

Final Words

PetPivot’s Tuke journey proves a trend: the combination of China’s supply chain advantages and global content platforms provides a brand new Tuke path for Chinese brands.

Through content platforms likeTikTok, Chinese companiesfullyhave the opportunity to directly build emotional connections with global consumers, breaking the trap of price competition in traditional cross-border e-commerce.

The overseas market is vast, waiting for more Chinese brands to explore it with unique content and products.