679In recent years, with the diversification of global office scenarios and the rise in health awareness, the ergonomic furniture market has experienced rapid growth.
According to data from futuremarketinsights, in 2024, the global ergonomic furniture market is valued at $22.2118 billion.
It is expected to maintain steady growth at a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% from 2024 to 2034. By 2034, the global ergonomic furniture market is projected to reach $20.8366 billion.
Image source: futuremarketinsights
Amid this trend, an ergonomic furniture brand from Shenzhen, China, sensed the business opportunity in overseas markets, seized the chance, and entered the market with smart ergonomic chairs as its core product, successfully breaking into the overseas market.
That brand isSIHOO.
Reportedly, between 2018 and 2021, the brand's sales increased from 8 million yuan to 360 million yuan, a 40-fold increase in three years.
Today, SIHOO's annual product sales exceed 1.5 million units, with business covering more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, serving multiple Fortune 500 companies and over 10 million household users.
So, as a Chinese local brand, how did SIHOO break through borders and gain recognition in overseas markets?
Image source: SIHOO
From Domestic to Overseas: SIHOO's Market Expansion Path
It is understood that the SIHOO brand initially focused on developing the domestic market. After its establishment in 2011, it first set up a marketing center in Shenzhen, starting its business in the Pearl River Delta region.
In 2012, it opened an ergonomic experience center in Shenzhen and began experimenting with the O2O marketing model.
By 2014, the SIHOO brand had established warehousing centers in Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Beijing, achieving rapid nationwide delivery and continuously expanding its domestic business scale.
Image source: SIHOO
Although domestic business was developing well, the team realized that further growth required expanding into overseas markets.
Therefore, in 2018, the SIHOO brand decided to test the waters in overseas markets and entered Amazon US with a trial mindset.
After market research, the team priced the M18 ergonomic chair in the $159-175 range, filling the gap between low-end products under $100 and high-end products over $1,000 in the market at that time.
The first attempt exceeded expectations: the M18 ergonomic chair sold out within one month of launch, sales exceeded 8,000 units in the first six months, and annual sales surpassed $3.4 million.
This "good start" gave the team great confidence and validated the development potential of the overseas mid-range market.
Based on this successful attempt, the SIHOO brand began accelerating its overseas market layout in 2019. Starting with Germany and the US as core markets, it gradually expanded to surrounding regions while also developing emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Through continuous market expansion, up to now, the SIHOO brand has formed a global business layout covering four major regions: North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
Image source: SIHOO
Social Media Marketing: Building Brand Awareness with Content
In the era of social media, the SIHOO brand also understands that relying solely on the dividends of third-party e-commerce platforms is not sustainable; better brand promotion is needed to let more potential consumers know about the brand.
Thus, the SIHOO brand focused on TikTok and YouTube, two major social media platforms, to expand its brand influence.
TikTok:
On TikTok, the SIHOO brand attaches great importance to influencer marketing, collaborating with several active influencers in related fields to release creative promotional short videos and attract potential users through scenario-based content.
TikTok gaming influencer @hypey, who has 508,400 followers, shot a creative promotional short video for the SIHOO brand.
Image source: TikTok
In the video, the influencer presents the unboxing and assembly process of the SIHOO ergonomic chair, then demonstrates the product's various functional features through actual sitting experience.
These include a multi-angle adjustable backrest design, retractable armrest device, a neck support system that supports personalized settings, and a backrest height that can be freely adjusted according to the user's height.
This immersive product experience display allows viewers to intuitively understand the convenience and practical value of the product.
So far, this creative short video has reached 1.5 million views and 47,600 likes, with many users asking about the price and purchase methods in the comments: "How much is it?" "Where is the best place to buy?" "Is it suitable for home office chairs?"
Image source: TikTok
YouTube:
On YouTube, the SIHOO brand focuses more on collaborating with tech bloggers, highlighting product performance through in-depth reviews.
Tech blogger Hardware Sugar, who has 129,000 subscribers, is one of the brand's partners and shot a detailed review video for the SIHOO M57 ergonomic chair. So far, the video has reached 250,000 views.
In this review video, Hardware Sugar first conducts a rigorous stress test to verify structural strength, then demonstrates the use of each adjustment function one by one. This testing method allows users to clearly understand the product's performance in daily use, thereby increasing trust and favorability toward the product.
Image source: YouTube
It turns out that this professional review promotion method is indeed effective. Many users chose to place orders after watching the video, and some even spontaneously shared their real user experiences in the comments, resulting in secondary dissemination:
"I bought this product today because of your explanation. I chose the pre-assembled version. It was delivered the same day."
"I love my SIHOO M57. It works great after upgrading from my regular gaming chair."
"I recently bought the SIHOO M57 chair and love it. Now I have become a mesh chair enthusiast."
Image source: YouTube
Independent Website: Taking Control of Channels
In the process of market expansion, the SIHOO brand also adopted a multi-channel layout, implementing a "e-commerce platform + independent website" dual-track strategy. While focusing on Amazon, it also invested resources in building its own independent brand website.
Specifically regarding their independent website, it features a clear product classification structure, systematically displaying different series of ergonomic chairs such as DORO-S300, DORO-C100, and V1.
Each product page contains detailed function descriptions and usage scenario introductions, making it easy for consumers to quickly understand product features and make purchase decisions.
Through the independent website, the SIHOO brand can better collect user information and use this information to promptly adjust the website's operational strategy.
At the same time, building an independent website has also brought greater autonomy to the SIHOO brand, enabling it to reduce reliance on third-party e-commerce platforms and build a more robust overseas sales model.
Image source: SIHOO
Inspiration for Domestic Brands
Through the case of the SIHOO brand, it can be seen that home furnishing brands going overseas do not have to rely solely on low-price strategies. With precise market positioning, multi-channel marketing layouts, and the construction of independent websites, there are more opportunities to succeed in overseas markets.
For domestic companies today, overseas markets are still full of opportunities. The practice of the SIHOO brand has proven that as long as the method is appropriate, Chinese brands can shine in overseas markets.
So why not put aside your concerns now and proactively embrace the development opportunities of overseas markets! Wishing everyone success in advance.
