With the rise of short videos, Vlog, livestreaming and other content creation formats, the number of global individual creators continues to climb.More and morepeople are getting used to shooting short clips with their phones and cameras to record their daily lives.

However, traditionalphotography equipmentis gradually being eliminated from the market due to its bulkiness, complicated operation, and high price.

Users' demand for portable, professional, and scenario-based shooting tools is becoming increasingly strong. From basic support equipment to professional lighting and audio accessories, the market's segmented needs are constantly deepening, directly driving the global photography accessories market into a stage of rapid growth.

 

Image source:Ulanzi

According toMarket.usdata:

The globalphotographyaccessoriesmarket sizewas valued at $3.5 billion in 2023, and is expected to grow to about $13.3 billion by 2033, with acompound annual growth rateas high as14.2%,showing a very strong industry momentum.

 

Image source:Market.us

On this golden track with huge potential, many domestic enterprises are optimistic about the prospects, planning for Tuke, and successfully emerging in overseas markets, showing the world the strength of Chinese brands.

The brand to be introduced today,Ulanzi(Youlanzi), is a standout dark horse in Tuke.

Next, let's take a look at how it grew from a new small brand to an industry benchmark with annual revenue of hundreds of millions and global sales certification as No.1.

 

Image source:Ulanzi

Starting from user insights, building a bridge between products and content

According to public information,Ulanzi(Youlanzi) is a global photography accessories brand founded in Shenzhen in 2016.

FounderWilliam had the idea of starting a business as early as his university days. He keenly noticed that traditional photography equipment was generally bulky, complicated to operate, and expensive. With the rise of short videos and Vlog, individual content creators urgently needed lightweight, easy-to-use, and cost-effective shooting accessories.

Based on these observations,William started with cross-border e-commerce in 2015, mainly selling 3C peripheral products.

In 2016, he officially founded his own brandUlanzi(Youlanzi), precisely targeting the portable needs of individual creators, focusing on developing lightweight and easy-to-carry photography accessories, lowering the threshold for content creation for the masses.

In terms of product line, the brand covers all creation scenarios, building a complete product matrix including phone holders, tripods, fill lights, stabilizers, etc. There are more than3400 products, fully meeting the various usage scenarios of content creators.

 

Image source:Ulanzi

Multi-platform layout, a combination strategy to boost overseas sales

In terms of online channels,Ulanziadopts a multi-platform layout approach.

Amazon is its core global base, contributing30% of overseas revenue. The brand deeply cultivates North America, Europe, Japan and other core sites, and has long ranked in the TOP10 in the photography accessories category.

 

Image source: Amazon

AliExpress wasUlanzi's important early Tuke platform. Its photography accessories once ranked No.1 in sales in the Camera & Photo category on AliExpress, covering Russia, Spain, France and other markets, focusing on high cost-performance hot products.

In addition, the brand also enteredeBay, supplementing channels through the European and American second-hand and long-tail markets, covering niche accessories and professional user groups.

However, third-party platform traffic and rules are not controlled by the brand itself, and there are limitations for long-term development. Therefore,Ulanzi also built an overseas independent site, offering buy-now-pay-later, 30-day no-reason returns, exclusive member discounts and other services, continuously optimizing the shopping experience, effectively improving user repurchase rate and stickiness.

 

Image source:Ulanzi

From performance results,Ulanzi's global layout has achieved remarkable results:

In 2022, the brand's sales exceeded 400 million yuan, and completedA+ round financing, solidifying its capital foundation for global expansion;In 2025, the brand's expected revenue will reach 1.3 billion yuan, achieving 2x growth compared to2023.

InJune 2025, the international authoritative institution Frost & Sullivan released a report,certifyingUlanzi as the No.1 global photography accessories brand in sales for 2024.

With these impressive achievements and industry influence,Ulanzi has become the undisputed benchmark dark horse in this segment.

  

Image source:Frost & Sullivan

MasteringTikTok, letting products "speak" for themselves in scenarios

Photography accessories are tools that have entered daily life with the wave of short videos andVlog. To reach more potential users, the most effective way is to return to social media for promotion.

Let global content creators intuitively feel the product's value while browsing content, thinking"This accessory is very practical and can help me improve my shooting effect," and thus complete the purchase conversion.

With this idea, the highly influential social media platform among young peopleTikTok naturally became the core marketing base for Ulanzi's brand layout.

OnTikTok, Ulanzioperates the official account@Ulanzi_Official,which currently has over1 million followers,and has accumulatedmore than4.6 million likes.

 

Image source:TikTok

Many short videoson the accounthavereceived enthusiastic responses, with more than 7 videos exceeding 10 million views, and the highest single video reaching64.7 million views.

 

Image source:TikTok

Taking this viral video as an example, it's easy to seeUlanzi's clear content strategy—focus on real scenarios and showcase the practical value of the product.

Although the video is only12 seconds, it vividly presents the creative use of Ulanzi accessories to "attach" the phone to the car body for shooting, precisely meeting the needs of short video creators to record their commuting routines.

The video quickly went viral after release,not only with explosive views, but also182,600 likes.

This content format, which naturally integrates product functions into daily shooting scenarios, not only intuitively showcases product highlights, but also provides shooting inspiration for creators,thuseffectively stimulating overseas users' interest and purchase intention.

 

Image source:TikTok

But relying only on the brandaccount, the spread is still limited. To gain more organic traffic,Ulanzibrandactively collaborates with lifestyle and tech influencers onTikTok, leveraging their influence to expand brand awareness and reach more potential consumers.

The lifestyle influencer @gbolex_ with82,600 followers is one of its partners.

 

Image source:TikTok

Although the number of followersis average, hiscontent is highly sticky and the audience is precise, with each daily short clip maintaining stable attention.

He shot a promotional short video forUlanzi MA38, a magnetic phone holder, showing in the first half how the product can flexibly attach to various scenarios, easily recording Vlog clips of cooking at home, working, etc.; the second halfdirectly presentstheedited final video effect.

This content structure of teaching demonstration+final video display is highly persuasive. Many viewers actively ask about purchase channels in the comments:"How do I order? I need one."

It proves that scenario-based function demonstrations by professional influencers can eliminate user concerns and significantly improveproductpurchase conversion.

 

Image source:TikTok

Conclusion

Ulanzi's Tuke journey provides a clear model for many Chinese enterprises aspiring to go global: in a high-growth niche track, polish products based on user needs, build a stable global sales network relying on mainstream e-commerce platforms and independent sites, and use social media like TikTok to establish deep connections with target users through quality content.

In today's global market, especially under the wave of digital economy and content creation, emerging categories are constantly releasing structural opportunities.

For Chinese enterprises, Tuke is no longer a multiple-choice question, but a must-answer for long-term development. This requires not only a strong supply chain, but also a deep understanding of overseas cultures, refined local operations, and the ability to communicate efficiently with global users.

The stage of the overseas market is broad enough, waiting for more prepared and bold Chinese brands to step up.