489Data shows that in 2023, the global retail market size for handheld smart imaging devices has surpassed 36.4 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate as high as 14.2%.
What does this mean? Simply put, the popularity of this market is directly proportional to the enthusiasm for short video creation among people around you.
The rise of short videos has turned more and more ordinary people into "content creators," and smartphones have become the standard tool for casual recording. However, to shoot steadily and professionally, handheld stabilizers are essential. Thus, this seemingly inconspicuous tool has quietly become a hot commodity.
Image source: Hoham
In this blue ocean, domestic manufacturers have started to prove themselves with strength. Leveraging supply chain advantages, players like DJI, Insta360, Zhiyun, and Hohem have not only gained countless fans domestically but also expanded their influence globally. Today, we are talking about Hohem, which stands out among these brands and is a force to be reckoned with in the global stabilizer market.
Why is that? Just look at the data: Hohem has already captured 25% of the overseas online market share for stabilizers and 70% of the action camera stabilizer market. Even more impressively, it has dominated Amazon's bestseller list for years, making it the "top influencer" in the stabilizer industry. In November this year, it also secured tens of millions in financing from Xiaomi Group and Shunwei Capital.
So here comes the question: How did Hohem achieve this? What made Xiaomi invest, and how did it quietly yet efficiently dominate this niche market?
Image source: Hoham
From OEM to Brand: A Determined Transformation
Tuke has learned that Hohem was founded in 2014 and is affiliated with Shenzhen Hohem Technology Co., Ltd. Initially, it was a behind-the-scenes player focused on OEM, mainly producing stabilizers and other imaging accessories for European and American companies. But OEM business is tough—clients are arrogant, prices are repeatedly squeezed, and profits are so thin it's exhausting. Such business relationships are not only unequal but also made Hohem realize that relying solely on OEM would not get them far.
In 2016, Hohem launched a groundbreaking product: the world's first smartphone stabilizer with built-in APP smart interaction and face tracking features. This product opened the doors to the US market and successfully entered 800 BestBuy stores, marking a small victory for Chinese brands in overseas markets.
Image source: Hoham
However, the real challenge began with the transformation. In 2018, Hohem made the tough decision to cut 90% of its OEM business and fully invest in building its own brand. The cost of this decision was painful—within just half a year, orders nearly dropped to zero, and foreign trade business hit rock bottom.
Fortunately, Hohem was not defeated. They quickly shifted their focus online, reaching consumers directly through platforms like Amazon. With solid products and precise strategies, they quickly became the sales champion in Amazon's stabilizer category, gradually establishing their own brand in overseas markets.
Today, Hohem has secured a place in the global market, with smartphone stabilizers accounting for 25% of the overseas online market share and action camera stabilizers capturing 70% of the market. In 2023, their global shipments exceeded one million units, annual revenue reached 500 million yuan, and they received tens of millions in strategic financing from Xiaomi Group, Shunwei Capital, and other institutions.
Hohem's financing history
Precise Layout, Social Media Ignites Growth
As business continues to grow, Hohem is also making continuous efforts in brand marketing.
By deeply cultivating overseas social media platforms, they have not only expanded brand exposure but also precisely reached target users, converting traffic into real purchasing power.
TikTok
Faced with the overseas short video boom, Hohem naturally did not miss out on TikTok, this traffic goldmine. Now, Hohem's official account @hohem_global on TikTok has accumulated 127,600 followers and 421,900 likes. The account's content is rich and interesting, not only showcasing novel perspectives using stabilizers but also collaborating with TikTok influencers to create creative short videos, successfully attracting a large number of users.
Hohem's TikTok account status
They also cleverly embed brand topic tags such as #hohem in video descriptions, which not only increases content exposure but also effectively channels traffic to the brand, delivering visible results.
Hohem's TikTok strategy is not random but precisely targets users by collaborating with photography enthusiasts and lifestyle bloggers, firmly capturing the core group interested in video shooting. This targeted placement strategy gives the brand deeper influence and effectively optimizes the marketing budget, further improving conversion efficiency.
Popular works under the #hohem tag. Image source: TikTok
YouTube
On YouTube, Hohem also lets content speak for itself.
Currently, Hohem's YouTube account has 92,000 followers, with content mainly focused on brand promotion, product tutorials, and photography tips. Many videos have nearly 100,000 views. Through diversified content, Hohem has gradually accumulated attention on the platform.
Image source: YouTube
Hohem also collaborates with various YouTube creators, adopting different cooperation methods based on the blogger's characteristics and fan profiles. For example, collaborating with @The Apple Circle, a blogger focused on Apple product reviews, who has 317,000 subscribers. Although the fan base is not particularly large, the audience is concentrated among Apple users, with relatively high engagement and purchasing power.
In one collaboration, @The Apple Circle gave a detailed introduction to Hohem's "iSteady V3" and its compatibility with iPhone16, demonstrating product features through real shooting and combining user scenarios to enhance content persuasiveness. At the end of the video, a discount link to the independent site was provided, making it easy for interested viewers to place orders directly. This video reached 169,000 views, bringing considerable traffic and user conversion to Hohem.
Hohem-related video posted by @The Apple Circle. Image source: YouTube
Independent Website
While steadily advancing on social media platforms, Hohem has also focused on building its independent website, further improving its global brand layout.
Tuke observed that on the independent site, Hohem mainly showcases product features through videos and GIFs. As a tool focused on video shooting, this approach is not only intuitive but also effectively conveys product usage scenarios and brand philosophy. Compared to traditional text and images, video content is richer and allows users to quickly understand product features.
In addition, Hohem attracts consumers through brand events and holiday promotions. For example, before the Black Friday sale, Hohem released discount information on its independent site in advance and increased event exposure through targeted advertising. This early layout effectively boosts site visits and brings more conversion opportunities for the brand.
According to Similarweb data, in October 2024, Hohem's independent site had about 157,000 visits, which is quite impressive.
Image source: Hohem independent site
Rejecting Self-Indulgence, Focusing on "User-Centric Innovation"
Hohem's success is also inseparable from its commitment to "user-centric innovation."
In the early days of transitioning from OEM to its own brand, Hohem's biggest breakthrough was shifting its focus from "self-indulgent" product development to understanding user needs. At that time, the smartphone stabilizer market mainly served professional photographers, with product prices generally as high as $150-200. Hohem took a different approach, pricing its products below $100, precisely targeting ordinary consumers. This strategy not only brought them closer to the public but also laid the foundation for subsequent product innovation.
User feedback is the starting point for Hohem's innovation. After launching the first-generation product, many users raised concerns about "large size and heavy weight," so they quickly adjusted direction, focusing on lightweight and portability. In 2020, Hohem released the world's lightest three-axis foldable smartphone stabilizer, iSteady X, weighing only 259 grams and easily foldable to pocket size. After its launch, this product became a hit in the stabilizer market and won the Silicon Valley Annual Innovation Award at the CES show in the US, boosting the brand's international reputation.
In addition to hardware innovation, Hohem continues to make breakthroughs in functionality and interaction. For example, the M7 stabilizer features AI tracking and touch screen controller, enhancing the user experience. At the same time, they segment product lines according to needs, catering to both serious creators and ordinary users, and offering various compatible accessories for different usage scenarios.
Currently, Hohem's products are sold in more than 140 countries worldwide, having won the Silicon Valley Innovation Award, Red Dot Award, IF Award, and many other international honors, and applied for nearly a hundred patents. They invest about 18% of their annual revenue in R&D, and this continuous investment in innovation is undoubtedly the key for Hohem to stand out in fierce competition.
Hohem M6 won the 2023 iF Design Award. Image source: Hoham
From Behind the Scenes to Center Stage: The Global Rise of Chinese Brands
From Hohem's transformation journey, we see the epitome of many Chinese brands going global.
The transition from OEM to independent brand is never smooth sailing, but is accompanied by uncertainty and constant trial and error. Yet it is this persistence that allows more domestic brands to shine in the global market.
From behind the scenes to center stage, from following to leading, the road may be long, but every step is striving for more possibilities for "Made in China."
The future of Chinese brands is not just about going global, but about standing firmer and going further.
