60It is often said that when judging whether a brand is good, its loyal fans have the most say.
You may not expect that the topic we are going to discuss todaySegway, and its number one heavyweight superfan is none other thanApple'sco-founderSteve Gary Wozniak.
It is said that when he goes shopping or heads to speaking engagements, he rides a Segway personal transporter, and he always keeps two in his trunk. This almost inseparable preference also gives Segway extremely high recognition in overseas tech circles.
Image source: Google
Interestingly, this benchmark brand that once swept overseas markets was later, by China'sNinebotacquired—now widely known asSegway-Ninebot。
And Ninebot has also grown from the startup it was back then into the sales leader in the micro-mobility track. In 2025,the company'stotal revenue has reachedalready21.278 billion yuan, with overseas market revenue accounting for over 37.26%.
Many people must be curious: how exactly did Ninebot “swallow” Segway and break into overseas markets? Then keep this question in mind and read on.
Image source: Google
They are several “generations” apart, yet they form one family
In fact, the Segway brand was founded in the United States as early as 1999, and can be called the originator of the self-balancing scooter category. The first-generation product came out in early 2002, directly creating the balance scooter track and holding a large number of core foundational patents.
But such an epoch-making brand also has obvious shortcomings. High pricing and slow commercialization are the two fatal problems dragging it down.
By contrast, Ninebot did not enter the market early. In 2012, two founders who graduated from Beihang University started the business in Beijing.
The founding team's original aspiration was to build mobile robots, but this path required heavy investment and had an extremely high commercialization threshold. So they decided to first enter the short-distance transportation track to achieve profitability, then feed that back into the robotics business, and plunged into the consumer balance scooter track.
Image source: Google
In 2014, Ninebot received investment from Xiaomi and Sequoia and officially joined the Xiaomi ecosystem. This funding provided strong support for the company's development, and relying on Xiaomi's channel advantages, it quickly opened up the market.
But what truly rewrote the entire industry landscape was Ninebot's snake-swallowing-an-elephant-style wholly owned acquisition of industry pioneer Segway...
Swallowed downSegway , what did it bring to Ninebot?
In 2015, this industry-shaking acquisition was settled.
Through this transaction, Ninebot directly obtained all core patents of the Segway brand, directly bypassing overseas patent barriers; after the merger, the unified name became Segway-Ninebot.
Image source: Google
This move was brilliant. Some say Segway was like Ninebot's amulet for overseas expansion, laying the foundation for its global layout.
But what Ninebot gained was far more than patents; it also gained Segway's years of accumulated overseas user reputation and a mature global sales network.
On online channels, in addition to Amazon as a core stronghold, the brand also entered local mainstream e-commerce platforms such as Germany's Otto and Southeast Asia's Lazada.
Image source: Amazon
Beyond third-party e-commerce, Ninebot also built its own brand site, carrying functions such as new product launches, crowdfunding, an accessories store, after-sales service, user community, and subscription services, continuously accumulating private-domain users.
Image source: Segway
On offline channels, it not only entered overseas chain supermarkets such as Costco, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy; it also continued to exhibit at industry trade shows such as CES and Eurobike, continuously strengthening its brand image.
By leveragingSegway , yet not stopping atSegway
To develop over the long term, Ninebot continued to expand with a combination of moves, gradually shifting its focus from balance scooters to electric scooters. With lightweight design and intelligent interaction, it disrupted the bulky traditional products in Europe and the US at the time.
At the same time, by supplying overseas shared mobility operators, the sharing business became its first growth curve overseas.
Image source: Google
Of course, the team did not abandon its original robotics vision. In 2022, the Segway Navimow boundaryless robotic mower was officially launched; relying on RTK boundaryless positioning, it solved the pain point of wiring in European and American yards.
In addition, high-margin categories such as Ebike electric-assist bicycles and all-terrain power vehicles have also landed one after another, becoming Ninebot's new growth engines.
Image source: Google
By 2025, the company had achieved total annual revenue of RMB 21.278 billion.
According to Euromonitor data, from 2023 to 2025, the own-brand sales of Ninebot electric scooters ranked first globally for three consecutive years.
This result is enough to prove that Ninebot's overseas journey leveraged Segway's momentum, but was never limited to Segway.
One scroll and you're hooked
Anyone doing cross-border business knows that the hardest part of business today is building users' awareness of products.
Ninebot also realized the importance of building brand mindshare and made content marketing a key lever for unlocking overseas markets.
Among them, the TikTok platform strategy is especially worth mentioning.
Strategy 1: Establish an official account
No matter what the platform traffic is, a stable main brand base is needed. Segway's official account @Segway | Official Account plays this role.
As of now, the account has accumulated 149,700 followers.
Image source: TikTok
The account content rarely piles up boring product specs; it is mostly real-person riding footage:
In various scenarios—mountains, sand, seaside, and urban asphalt roads—it visually shows the casual, smooth, and fun experience of riding, letting the product speak for itself.
Whether for daily commuting, escaping the city, or outdoor stress relief, balance scooters, kick scooters, and e-bikes have become choices for many people to enrich their lives.
It conveys to potential users who scroll to the video a feeling: it's not that you have to force yourself to fit the product, but that the product can fit your life.
Image source: TikTok
Strategy 2: Creator collaborationPromotion
The official account focuses on conveying brand tone and lifestyle. But to efficiently drive sales, creator seeding is a strong supplement.
For example, tech creator @Insert Richie, who has up to 7 million followers on TikTok, is one of the creators collaborating with the Segway brand.
Image source: TikTok
He continued his usual humorous and witty filming style, fully documenting the entire process of product unboxing and outdoor real-world riding tests.
Since the video was published, it has reached 2.9 million views and received 122,300 likes.
This type of content makes it easier for the audience to identify with it. When users see a blogger they trust and like using the product themselves, it greatly boosts favorability and willingness to try, ultimately driving conversion and orders.
Image source: TikTok
Video source: creator @Insert Richie's TikTok account
Conclusion
In fact, there is no mysterious formula for domestic companies to enter overseas markets.Product strength is the foundation, channels are the skeleton, and content is the hand that brings users closer.
Ninebot leverages Segway's patents and network to gain a foothold, then uses an independent site to accumulate private-domain traffic and TikTok to build awareness. This approach is not particularly novel, but its strength lies in every step being solidly executed.
For domestic companies, overseas markets are not a threshold to look up to, but an incremental space waiting to be explored.
Right now is a good time to go global; competition is fierce,but as long as there is clear product positioning, a stable channel layout, and continuous content investment, opportunities are far more numerous than imagined.
