638When it comes to brand globalization, we often focus on Europe, America, or Southeast Asia, but inadvertently overlook a blue ocean—Latin America.
The Latin American consumer electronics market is vibrant and full of vitality, with a continuously expanding middle class and rapidly penetrating e-commerce channels. Especially, there is a strong demand for cost-effective products in the $60-70 price range, making this market particularly broad.
Tronsmart, a brand from Shenzhen, targeted this overseas market early on. Through precise planning, it quickly became a leading player in the regional audio market within just three years:
Its star product, the Bang series TWS earphones, sells 15,000 units per month in Mexico; in Brazil, it holds a steady second place in the industry with an 18% market share, second only to Sony; and in Argentina, it tops the list with a 21% share.
And its starting point was nothing more than a small laboratory in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen.
Image source: Internet
From Electronics Enthusiast to the “King of Sound” in Latin America
According to official information, Tronsmart is a brand under Shenzhen Geekbuy E-commerce Co., Ltd., founded in Shenzhen in 2013. Its founder, Eric Cheng, has a story full of geek flavor.
In 2008, he used his first salary to build a laboratory to dismantle electronic products; in 2013, he put self-made accessories into mass production and founded the Tronsmart brand. In its early days, the brand was based on power banks, data cables, and other 3C accessories; in 2016, it decisively shifted to the audio track, laying the groundwork for subsequent explosive growth.
Image source: Tronsmart official website
By 2018, Tronsmart signed international football star Luis Suárez as its spokesperson and placed ads in overseas core channels such as New York Times Square, significantly enhancing its international brand recognition.
At the same time, they continued to invest in R&D, successfully developing core technologies such as SoundPulse® audio enhancement technology and TuneConn™ wireless multi-device connection technology.
In 2021, facing intensified competition and the peak of traffic dividends in the European and American markets, Tronsmart chose to enter the Latin American market and joined the Mercado Libre platform. In just one year, it entered the first tier of the Latin American audio market, creating another success story for Chinese brands going global.
Brand history Image source: Tronsmart official website
The Blue Ocean of Latin American Consumer Electronics Is Just in Time
A deep dive into the reasons for Tronsmart’s success in the Latin American market cannot be separated from the favorable development trends of the local consumer electronics industry and strong market demand.
According to data, the compound annual growth rate of the Latin American consumer electronics market reached as high as 8.4% in 2022, showing a booming market trend. By 2024, the Latin American consumer electronics market reached $63.9 billion, and continues to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6%.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of e-commerce channels is also reshaping the Latin American consumer ecosystem and providing momentum for the Tronsmart brand. In core Latin American markets such as Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, as digitalization accelerates, the penetration rate of online shopping continues to rise, and more and more people are choosing to shop on e-commerce platforms.
Image source: Grand View Research
Social Media: Breaking the “New Brand Trust Dilemma”
Overseas consumers’ natural caution towards unfamiliar brands is a threshold that many companies going global find hard to cross.
In response, Tronsmart did not simply choose “multi-platform distribution,” but instead designed differentiated approaches for different scenarios and audiences.
▲“Being Local” on TikTok
On TikTok, Tronsmart has built a comprehensive account matrix, planning according to the market characteristics of different regions.
According to incomplete statistics, they have already established more than eight accounts, including:
Vietnam account @tronsmartvietnam, Myanmar account @tronsmartspeakerstore, Thailand account @tronsmartth, Malaysia account @tronsmartmalaysia, etc.
Some account information Image source: TikTok
In addition, for different regional accounts, Tronsmart also creates different personas and clear visual information points. For example, on the Myanmar account @tronsmartspeakerstore, all videos feature the same woman as the protagonist, and content is created through product reviews, scenario-based performances, and dance. This account has now accumulated 49,200 followers.
Among them, a video posted on May 2 showing the woman dancing with a Tronsmart speaker received 36,600 views, and the inquiries in the comments section were also very good, effectively promoting product sales conversion.
Image source: TikTok
At the same time, Tronsmart also collaborates with many professional niche influencers on TikTok, inviting them to conduct in-depth reviews and introductions of the products.
These niche influencers have a large number of followers and high influence in audio, digital, and other fields. Their reviews and introductions can more professionally and comprehensively showcase the features and advantages of Tronsmart products.
For example, TikTok @the.atn, in collaboration with the brand, directly tested the speaker’s waterproof and bass performance by placing it in the rain, intuitively demonstrating the product’s strengths. The video eventually received 1.2 million views, and as shown in the image below, the inquiry effect was also very good.
Image source: TikTok
▲YouTube: Building Trust with Professional Teardowns
On YouTube, Tronsmart collaborated with a group of professional tech bloggers at the early stage of entering the Latin American market, promoting products through unboxing, reviews, and teardowns.
For example, they worked with the Spanish-language channel Tecnoanalisis en Español, which is active in the YouTube tech field. Given its objective and neutral review perspective and its Spanish-speaking audience, this collaboration was highly targeted, mainly conducted through professional language and “intense” analytical reviews.
In the collaboration video, the channel host gave a detailed introduction to Tronsmart’s flagship product at the time, the T6 MAX. The video had a smooth pace and high information density, ultimately garnering 790,000 views and attracting the attention and purchases of many potential users.
Image source: YouTube
Conclusion: The Market Is Still Vast
The story of Tronsmart in Latin America has come to a temporary end, but the experience it leaves behind is worth pondering.
For all Chinese brands wishing to go global, it is not only necessary to have a price advantage, but also to have brand awareness and the ability to operate locally.
In short, going global is not a one-off game, but a long-term “cultivation.”
If everyone is ready, then set sail now!
