361In Guangdong, there is a brand that has quietly gone viral—Phomemo. This “pocket printing miracle” has made many foreign netizens exclaim “amazing”!
A few years ago, Phomemo was just an ordinary supplier of printing consumables. Today, its portable printers have entered nearly 200 countries, becoming trendy items for recording life and expressing personality.
How did the Phomemo brand transform in just a few years into a “creative must-have” for global users? Perhaps the answer lies in the overseas journey of this domestic printer.
Image source: Phomemo brand official site
A “Portable Revolution”: From Consumables Supplier to Portable Printing Brand
Tuke has learned that the Phomemo brand belongs to Xiwen Innovation Technology (Zhuhai) Co., Ltd., and is a leading brand in the portable and lightweight printer industry.
Zhuhai is known as the “World Capital of Consumables,” with the world’s most complete industrial chain for printing consumables and spare parts. With this strong industrial foundation, Phomemo took the first step in transforming from printing consumables to portable printing.
In 2012, founder Guo Jinping entered the printing consumables industry and chose the relatively niche label tape segment. Through technological innovation, he successfully broke the monopoly of foreign manufacturers. By the end of 2023, Phomemo’s label tape sales accounted for 30% of the global market, and exports accounted for more than 65% of domestic peers. However, as price wars intensified, the competitiveness of single products gradually weakened. Guo Jinping realized the need to expand categories and decided to enter the portable printer market.
At that time, portable inkless printers were just emerging in China, and the overseas market was a blue ocean. Phomemo developed inkless printing technology, improved hardware performance, and created portable printers that connect to smartphones, using an “Internet + consumer electronics” approach. This not only met consumers’ needs for easy operation, but also enriched the product’s application scenarios, such as travel stickers, journaling, and DIY gifts.
At the same time, Phomemo deeply explored the “gift culture” in Europe and America, positioning portable printers as “creation tools” for personalized gifts, meeting users’ emotional expressions of family and friendship, and successfully opening up the overseas market.
Image source: Phomemo brand official site
Breaking Through on Social Media: Global “Planting Grass” Starting from TikTok
As Phomemo gradually gained a foothold in the European and American markets, the brand officially joined TikTok in 2020, leveraging this platform popular among young users to showcase the diverse applications of its portable printers in creative and DIY scenarios.
By continuously posting practical and fun content, Phomemo’s TikTok account gradually attracted widespread attention, now boasting 672,200 followers and 3.4 million likes. There are 49 videos with over a million views, and the most popular video has reached 21.9 million views, demonstrating young users’ strong interest in portable printers.
Phomemo brand TikTok account status
In terms of content, Phomemo’s TikTok videos revolve around “life creativity” and “personalized DIY,” covering the use of portable printers to make stickers, photos, holiday labels, and journal decorations. The videos demonstrate the product’s versatility and “ease of use” through scenario demonstrations, such as printing gift labels during holidays or making home decorations and journal stickers. This type of content not only showcases the product’s diversity, but also caters to the needs of creative enthusiasts and crafters, allowing viewers to see the convenience and creative potential of the printer.
Phomemo brand TikTok video style
In addition, Phomemo expands its content coverage through popular hashtags like #DIY, #stickers, #journaling, reaching more young users who love creativity and crafting. Through scenario-based content and tags that match user interests, Phomemo has successfully promoted portable printers as tools for expressing personality and creativity, accumulating a loyal fan base in the European and American markets.
Phomemo brand commonly used TikTok popular hashtags
Building a Global Brand Community: Diversified Content Layout
In addition to strong promotion on TikTok, Phomemo has also expanded to other social platforms, using Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to showcase its brand influence through different forms of content and reach a broader user base.
On Facebook, Phomemo shares usage cases and promotional information through images and short videos, attracting users who prefer practical applications. Currently, the account has about 20,000 followers. Compared to other platforms, Facebook’s engagement rate is slightly lower, possibly due to different audience needs.
Image source: Facebook
On YouTube, Phomemo publishes unboxing reviews, tutorials, and other long-form videos to help viewers gain an in-depth understanding of product features, attracting about 108,000 subscribers. This more detailed content format is especially valuable for users with specific needs.
Image source: YouTube
On Instagram, Phomemo showcases product effects and user creations through images and short videos, with a fresh visual style that has attracted 731,000 followers, mainly craft and DIY enthusiasts. This visual content better fits Instagram users’ interests and further expands the brand’s influence among creative communities.
Image source: Instagram
Independent Site and Amazon in Parallel: Building an International Brand
Meanwhile, Phomemo has established more direct purchasing channels through a dual-track approach with Amazon and its own independent site.
On Amazon, Phomemo has set up a brand flagship store, using detailed product pages to showcase various styles of portable printers. Each product is accompanied by high-definition images and detailed descriptions, making it easy for users to intuitively understand product features.
Phomemo also leverages Amazon’s user review system to collect feedback and provide references for potential customers. This setup not only increases product visibility but also builds greater trust through user reviews, helping the brand gain attention on the highly competitive Amazon platform.
Image source: Amazon
On its independent site, Phomemo focuses more on user experience. The site layout is simple, covering detailed product information, FAQs, and usage tutorials, making it easy for users to fully understand the brand’s products.
The independent site also provides a convenient purchasing process and dedicated customer service support for users to inquire about specific needs. Compared to Amazon, the independent site is more flexible, allowing for direct collection of user feedback, which helps Phomemo respond more quickly to product improvements and user experience optimization.
Phomemo brand independent site homepage
From Individual Needs to Cultural Resonance: Insights from Phomemo’s Overseas Expansion
Phomemo’s success is not simply about “taking products abroad,” but about integrating with different cultures and exploring the unique value of products in emotional and local needs.
For Chinese brands to go global, only by truly understanding user needs and respecting diverse cultures can they gain a foothold in the international market.
In the future, the path to success for Chinese brands going overseas may be built on user-centricity and cultural resonance.
