As the old saying goes: To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools!

Although welding machine toolsare relativelyniche in the domestic market,in the North Americanmarket, they have long been deeplyintegratedinto residents' daily lives.

Thanks to the prevailing local DIY culture, from small tasks like appliance repair, window and door maintenance, and handicraft making, to larger projects like yard renovation and vehicle modification, welding machines are indispensable practical tools. This has alsodriventhe formation of a sizable consumer market.

 

Image source:YesWelder

According to research data fromgrandviewresearch:The globalwelding equipmentmarket size in2023was valuedat19.7 billion USD, and is expectedtoreach27.8 billion USD by2030,with a compound annual growth rateof5%during the period.

 

Image source:grandviewresearch

But here comes the problem: this market has long been monopolized by American giants such asMiller Electric, Lincoln Electric. Although these brands' welding machinesaretechnologically advanced and of high quality,their high prices are far beyond the reach of ordinary consumers, seriously disconnected from the needs of individual and family users.

It is precisely this market gap that has driven the explosive growth in demand for affordable, easy-to-operate welding machines in recent years.

 

Image source:YesWelder

Many Chinese companies have keenly seized this business opportunity, decisively entering the Tuke track, and have successfully become leading overseas sellers in this niche category thanks to outstanding product advantages and strong marketing strategies.

Today, we are going to talk aboutYesWelder, a typical representative among them. Transforming from a behind-the-scenes OEM factory to a C-end king with annual sales of 500 million, let's take a look at how this brand achieved it.

 

Image source:YesWelder

From OEM to Brand: A Transformation Path "Welded" Out

According to public information,YesWelder is a brand focused on the R&D and production of welding tools, founded in Wenzhou in 2018. Its predecessor was a typical OEM factory, with its core business being OEM production services for overseas welding machine brands.

However, as market competition intensified, the profit margin of OEM business continued to shrink. The founding team gradually realized that only by transforming to an independent brand could they break through the development bottleneck of the OEM model and gain greater market influence.

In 2018, the YesWelder brand was officially established, and in April of the same year, it entered the Amazon e-commerce platform, relying on platform traffic to carry out product sales.

At that time, traditional industrial welding machines were generally priced in the4000-6000 USD range, while YesWelder precisely targeted the 100-1000 USD price band, focusing on entry-level users and household consumers. With a high cost-performance differentiated positioning, it quickly captured the market and accumulated a core loyal user base.

 

Image source: Amazon

But this single-platform operation model has significant risks:

1. Insufficient brand awareness:Consumers only focus on product functionality and lack in-depth understanding and recognition of the brand.

2. Excessive platform dependence:Sales are highly constrained by the platform's traffic allocation rules, resulting in weak risk resistance.

Therefore,the YesWelder brand initiated a strategic transformation to the DTC model, building its own independent brand site. This move not only allowed the brand to fully control consumer data assets, but also created richer scenarios for brand storytelling and user interaction.

After completing the brand transformation and optimizing channel layout,the YesWelder brand smoothly entered a phase of rapid growth in overseas markets.

In 2021, the brand's GMV reached 300 million yuan; in 2022, annual revenue nearly doubled, successfully breaking the 500 million yuan mark, becoming the undisputed leading Tuke brand in the welding machine niche.(Data from Ebrun)

 

Image source:YesWelder independent site

TikTok: Content Marketing Ignites the Growth Engine

On the sales channel side,YesWelder has established a dual-track layout of third-partye-commerceplatforms+independent brand site, but to drive final purchase conversion, it still needs to reachmorepotential customersthrough precise marketing communication.

At this time, globally popular social media platforms have become excellent customer acquisition grounds.

Brands likeYesWelder,havechosen to enterTikTok and other mainstream social platforms, leveraging targeted marketing strategies and platform traffic dividends for continuous deep cultivation.

· Self-built Account: Building Brand Trust with Practical Content

OnTikTok,the YesWelder brand has established its own brand account @yeswelder, which has accumulated 365,500 followers and 8 million likes so far.

 

Image source:TikTok

Unlike traditional hard advertising,the @YesWelder account's content layout is centered on pragmatism, focusing on sharing content that target users truly need or are interested in.

Such as essential welding skills explanation videos, showcases of high-quality welding craft works, and creative content that matches welding enthusiasts' preferences.

This type of valuable, highly practical content can precisely attract the attention of potential users. When users encounter related videos on the platform, they are likely to develop a sense of recognition due to the content's value, and then proactively jump to the sales platform, thus shortening the conversion cycle from interest to order.

 

Image source:TikTok

· Influencer Collaboration: Leveraging Real Experiences to Boost Sales

Of course, building an official brand account is just one step in the marketing layout.

To further expand brand exposure and reach a wider user base,the YesWelder brand chose to collaborate with active influencers on the TikTok platform, leveraging influencer traffic to amplify communication effects.

Kalodata platform data shows: YesWelder's US local shop sold 25,300 items in the past 3 months, with a total transaction amount of $2,098,400.

Looking at the sales source structure, the brand's self-operated account contributed only0.43%, mall channel accounted for 17.68%, while affiliate influencer channel became the core sales pillar with an absolute share of 81.89%, corresponding to a transaction amount of $1,718,500.

 

Image source:kalodata

During the recent3-month marketing cycle, the YesWelder brand collaborated with 990 influencers, producing and publishing 3,140 video contents.

Among them, the most effective content came from TikTok influencer @angryanvil, who has36,800 followers.

 

 

Image source:kalodata

The content of this video is very simple: influencer@angryanvil personally tries out YesWelder's welding machine, demonstrating the practical process of DIY cutting creative shapes, intuitively showcasing the product's practicality and ease of operation.

This video ultimately garnered1,532,900 views, driving 391 orders and $60,200 in sales.

It is evident that for electric tools like welding machines, real scenario-based practical content is the key to driving consumer conversion. This real experience+ scenario-based display content model can lower consumers' decision-making threshold and promote rapid conversion from interest to purchase.

 

Image source:kalodata

Hot Thoughts and Breakthroughs in a Niche Track

Looking back atYesWelder's growth path, we can clearly see how the household electric welding machine category, once overlooked domestically, has exploded with amazing consumer potential in mature overseas markets.

For those intending to enter or deeply cultivate this category in Tuke, now is still a window period full of opportunities.

The continuous penetration of globalDIY culture, the expansion of personal maker communities, and the eternal pursuit of high cost-performance professional tools all provide long-term fundamental support for this track.

If Chinese brands can accurately grasp market demand trends, persist in shaping brand value, and efficiently utilizeTikTok and other emerging marketing channels, there is every opportunity to cultivate the next international best-selling brand with both market influence and user loyalty in this seemingly niche but highly promising track.