484As temperatures rise, the outdoor gear market ushers in the hottest season of the year once again.
Data shows that in 2022, the global outdoor products market size exceededUSD 200.2 billion, and by 2024, this figure is expected to grow toUSD 226.4 billion. Even in the context of a sluggish overall consumer market, this niche sector continues to maintain stable growth. Such a counter-trend performance has naturally attracted the attention of more and more Chinese manufacturers.
Image source: Zhongyan Puhua Industry Institute
Founded in 2010, the Ningbo brandNaturehike is one of them.
Starting out as an OEM for foreign trade, this brand achieved a stunning transformation in just over a decade, with products exported to more than 80 countries and regions worldwide, and in 2022, it surpassed1.5 billion yuan in sales.
In a market dominated by traditional European and American brands, what exactly has this Chinese brand done right? A closer look at its development strategy may provide new ideas for Chinese brands going global.
Image source: Naturehike
14 Years from Tent OEM to Global Brand
Naturehike's story begins in2003.
At that time, they were just an obscure OEM factory in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, mainly undertaking OEM orders for European outdoor brands. Although the OEM business was stable, profit margins were limited, market competition was fierce, and they could be replaced by other factories at any time.
In 2010, this OEM factory reached a turning point. The founding team decided to transform into an independent brand and officially registeredNingbo Naturehike Outdoor Products Co., Ltd.. But the road to transformation was not smooth; at that time, the domestic outdoor products market was almost monopolized by foreign big brands, and it was difficult for a new brand to gain a foothold.
After in-depth market research, the Naturehike team found a breakthrough. At that time, most outdoor gear on the market was bulky, so they innovatively proposed the brand concept of"Light Outdoor · Light Travel", focusing on lightweight products.
In 2013, Naturehike increased investment in product R&D, established a dedicated R&D center, and officially joined the Tmall platform. These measures quickly paid off; with differentiated positioning and excellent quality, their products won the Tmall 618 Outdoor Camping category sales championship forsix consecutive years, successfully opening up the domestic market.
Image source: Naturehike
After establishing itself in the domestic market, Naturehike discovered an interesting phenomenon: many cross-border e-commerce sellers proactively approached them to purchase goods and sell products overseas, with good sales. Even more surprisingly, overseas customers directly contacted them to become agents. These signals made Naturehike realize thatit was time to go global.
In 2017, Naturehike officially began its journey as a global brand. Starting with a professional camping and hiking tent, they successively entered platforms such as Amazon and AliExpress, while also building their own independent site. Today, Naturehike's products covermore than 80 countries and regions worldwide, ranking among the top three in Amazon's outdoor category, and becoming one of the most competitive Chinese brands in the field.
Image source: Amazon
Social Media Helps the Brand Break Through
To gain a foothold in overseas markets, having good products is not enough; the key is to make consumers see you and remember you.
Naturehike understands this well and has implemented amulti-channel strategy on mainstream social platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, boosting brand awareness.
·TikTok
On TikTok, Naturehike's official account@naturehike_uk currently has15,700 followers and34,000 likes. Their content strategy is pragmatic, mainly posting practical videos such as product setup and function tests, for example, demonstrating tent setup or outdoor table and chair storage. Through intuitive product demonstration videos, potential consumers can clearly understand the actual use and features of the products, greatly reducing doubts before purchase.
Image source: TikTok
The most impressive video records a Naturehike tent set up by a small river, with a camera placed outside the tent to capture the changing night sky. This video received960,000 views and22,000 likes, with many users in the comments praising "Beautiful!" and "Really want to experience it myself." These are excellent results in a vertical field.
Image source: TikTok
Naturehike also cleverly utilizes the popular#naturehike hashtag on TikTok, which currently has nearly390 million views. They include this trending hashtag in every video, successfully leveraging topic popularity. This not only increases exposure opportunities for brand content but also encourages more users to spontaneously share their real experiences with Naturehike products, forming a positive word-of-mouth cycle.
Image source: TikTok
They also collaborate with local KOLs, such as the camping video co-produced with@chasse.life, who has 28,700 followers, which received4.6 million views and137,000 likes, achieving a significant promotional effect.
Image source: TikTok
·YouTube
On YouTube, Naturehike's official account@NaturehikeOfficialStore has already gained13,000 subscribers.
Image source: YouTube
Given the professionalism of outdoor gear, they pay special attention to collaborating with professional review bloggers. For example, they worked with outdoor gear reviewer@TheOutdoorGearReview, who has696,000 followers, on a tent review video that detailed the setup process and product features of the"NatureHike Cape 8P Instant Tent".
Image source: YouTube
This tent is highly competitive in terms of weight, size, and functionality, and the blogger demonstrated the setup solo in the video. Ultimately, the video received540,000 views and12,000 likes, with579 comments, the vast majority of which werepositive. Such professional reviews are highly valuable for consumers' purchasing decisions, and combined with purchase links in the video description, the conversion effect is quite impressive.
Image source: YouTube
Independent Site Operation Strategy
In addition to social media, Naturehike also attaches great importance to building its independent site. The most intuitive impression when opening Naturehike's site is the professionalism and user-friendliness of the content.
They have established a content-richblog section, with practical guides ranging from "How Beginners Choose Sleeping Bags" to "High Altitude Camping Precautions." These guides not only solve consumer problems but also subtly build the brand's professional image. Each article embeds relevant product links, allowing users with needs to purchase with one click.
Image source: Naturehike Independent Site
In addition, thenavigation of Naturehike's independent site is also very clear, with scientifically organized product categories. From entry-level to professional-grade gear, everything is covered. This layout allows users with different needs to quickly find the products they want, greatly enhancing the shopping experience.
Image source: Naturehike Independent Site
Now Is the Time to Go Global
Naturehike's story shows us that Chinese brands are fully capable of making their mark in the global market.
Global e-commerce infrastructure is becoming increasingly mature, and overseas consumers' acceptance of Chinese products is also rising.
Companies entering the market now have natural advantages, as pioneers have already paved the way. Social media operations, independent site construction, and localized marketing all have mature models to learn from. The key is to find the right product positioning and use differentiation to open up the market.
The space in overseas markets is far larger than we imagine. Rather than getting caught up in domestic competition, it's better to set your sights on broader horizons. Now, it's time to take that step!
