With the popularization of outdoor camping, hiking and other leisure activities,“urban light outdoor”has become the mainstream choice for contemporary young people. What used to be a niche and professional sport has gradually evolved into a lifestyle for all.

This trend has also directly driven the continuous expansion of the outdoor products market.

 

Image source:Naturehike

According toMarket.usresearch data:

The global leisure and outdoor productsmarket size in2024 is estimated to reach $126.5 billion.From2025 to 2034, the market will maintain steady growth at a compound annual growth rate of5.2%.

By2034,the global leisure and outdoor productsmarket size is expected to climb to$210 billion.

 

Image source:Market.us

Despite the booming market, European and Americanhigh-endbrands are generally priced high with obvious premiums,massconsumers are more inclined to choose cost-effective products——products that meet outdoorpractical needs, reliable quality, and affordable prices.

Seeingthis market demand, anoutdoor brand from Ningbo, Zhejiang seizedthe developmentopportunity and precisely entered the overseas mass and beginner outdoor market.

Starting from OEM, it developed rapidly all the way and finally grew into a leading seller in the category with annual sales exceeding1.5 billion yuan.

This brand isNaturehike (挪客).

Next, let's take a look at how it rose overseas.

  

Image source:Naturehike

From OEM to Brand: A Breakthrough Path of“Reverse Upgrade”

The story of Naturehike (挪客) can be traced back to 2003.

According to public information, at that time it was just a foreign trade OEM factory in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, mainly providing OEM production for European outdoor brands.

Although the OEM business was stable, profits were thin and competition was fierce, facing the risk of being replaced at any time. Moreover, the brand founder Mr. Ji himself is a senior outdoor enthusiast, and he was very dissatisfied with the polarized market situation at that time:Low-end products were bulky and difficult to use, while high-end brands were expensive.

Therefore, he was determined to create a lightweight, cost-effective national outdoor brand.

In 2010, a major turning point arrived, and Mr. Jiofficially founded the independent brandNaturehike (挪客).

 

Image source:Naturehike

Subsequently, the brandstarted R&D of lightweight outdoor equipment in 2011; in 2013, it directly established an R&D center and entered Tmall, targeting the mass outdoor track.

This series of layouts quickly paid off. With differentiated positioning and excellent quality,Naturehikewon6 consecutive yearstheTmall618 outdoor camping categorysaleschampionship,quickly gaining a firm foothold in the domestic market.

After achieving success in the domestic market, the brand discovered a new opportunity. Many cross-border sellers took the initiative to purchase goods and achieved impressive sales overseas. Some overseas customers even directly approached for agency cooperation. These signals strengthened the team's determination to go Tuke.

In 2016,Naturehike officially launched its global strategy,starting its Tuke journey.

Theytook professional camping and hiking tents as the entry point, successively deploying on leading cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and AliExpress, while building independent overseas sites, accumulating a large number of loyal users overseas.

 

Image source:Naturehike

After completing nearly 100 million yuan in financing in2022, the proportion of overseas sales further increased to 20%, successfully entering the top 3 outdoor brands on Amazon.

Today,Naturehikeproducts cover more than80 countriesandregions worldwide, successfully transforming from an OEM factoryinto an industry dark horse with annual sales exceeding 1.5 billion yuan.(Data source: Tuke.com)

 

Image source:Naturehike

Social Media Empowerment: Using Localization to Solve Overseas Trust Issues

Chinese brands going Tuke generally face a core challenge: overseas users do not know or trust them.

Therefore, to truly achieve long-term development in overseas markets, building brand awareness is crucial.

In recent years,the rise of global social platforms such as TikTok has provided Chinese brands with a natural traffic base and communication channel.

The Naturehike brand seized this opportunity and, through a series of overseas operations, successfully made overseas users recognize, trust, and choose the brand.

1. Building an Account Matrix

To accurately reach users in different countries,the Naturehike brandadopted a regional operation strategy onTikTok.

For the UK, US, Thailand, Morocco, Pakistan and other markets, localized accounts were set up, and differentiated content operation plans were formulated according to the cultural habits, user preferences and consumption needs of different regions.

For example, the TikTok account @naturehike.morocc for the Morocco market has so far accumulated46,300 followers and 582,900 likes,making it the best performing among all regional accounts.

 

Image source:TikTok

In terms of content,this account focuses closely on Morocco's stunning scenery and outdoor ecology, publishing a large number of immersive outdoor exploration and real nature scenery videos, and naturally integratesNaturehike gear usage scenarios into the scenes, conveying product value in the visual language loved by locals.

This content style, close to local life, not only effectively enhances user favorability, but also greatly stimulates potential consumers' interest in exploring the brand and products.

 

Image source:TikTok

For UK users who value professionalism and practicality,the TikTok account @naturehike_uk adopts a completely different content direction:

Videos focus on practical tips, product performance analysis, detail displays, scenario testing and usage tutorials, using a more direct and professional approach to impress overseas consumers who value quality and functionality.

 

Image source:TikTok

So far, this account has accumulated19,800 followers and 35,200 likes,steadily building a group of precise outdoor enthusiasts.

It can be said that it is precisely this localized content strategy, tailored to each country,that has allowed the Naturehikebrandto truly enter the vision of users in different countries, enhancingtheirsense of involvement and identity, continuously attracting a large number of local users to become loyal fans of the brand.

 

Image source:TikTok

2. Cooperation with Outdoor Influencers

To further expand overseas brand awareness,Naturehike also actively collaborates with outdoor influencers on TikTok, leveraging creative short video content to reach more potential consumers.

TheTikTok outdoor camping influencer@chasse.life with62,300 followersis one of the influencers the brand has worked with.

 

Image source:TikTok

This influencer released a complete outdoor setup video forNaturehiketents,which has so farachieved4.7 millionviews andnearly140,000likes.

In the comments section, many potential users left messages inquiring about product quality and durability, and the influencer responded authentically one by one,statingthat after actual outdoor experience,he/shebelievesNaturehiketents are very suitable for hiking and camping, not onlyableto withstand strong wind and rain, but also with good internal space and ventilation.

Such content with real scenarios, real experiences, and real feedback greatlyenhances the persuasiveness of the product,andhas a very positive effect on dispelling overseas users' purchase concernsandimprovingpurchase conversion rates.

 

Image source:TikTok

In summary,it is not difficult to see that whether it is refined regional account operation or deep cooperation with outdoor influencers,Naturehike's overseas marketing always revolves around user preferences and real needs.

In the promotion of overseas markets,the brand trulystands in the perspective of local users to create content, experiences, and communication, and the results are naturally immediate.

Conclusion

Naturehike's growth path provides a valuable reference sample for Chinese brands going Tuke.

Currently, the global outdoor market continues to expand, and consumers have a strong demand for products that combine quality and cost performance. This is exactly the advantage of Chinese manufacturing.

For domestic enterprises, there are still a large number of unmet segmented needs in overseas markets,especially in emerging fields such as light outdoor and leisure camping, there is still broad space for exploration. It can be said that now is the golden time for brands to go Tuke.

The key is whether you can, likeNaturehike, truly think from the user's perspective and make products and content that touch their hearts.

Only in this way can Chinese brands go further and more steadily in overseas markets.