A cross-border e-commerce company based in east China's Hangzhou City is exploring new strategies by hiring foreign livestreaming hosts and expanding into new product categories, responding to shifting consumer demands in global markets.
In the live studios of the company, livestreaming hosts from Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea and other countries were busy promoting Chinese products among the viewers in their home countries, with order numbers surging.
"Chinese products have good quality and diverse styles. I hope to share these products with my Malaysian friends through livestreaming from China," said Malaysian host Huang Yutong.
Originally targeting Western markets, the company has shifted its strategies, recruiting a number of foreign employees and expanding into emerging markets. Through market research, it found that consumer preferences in Southeast Asia have diversified beyond cosmetics and home health care products.
"We've indeed made some adjustments to our product categories and direction. For us, this is essentially like finding a new track and opening up new opportunities," said Liu Zhuo, director of the company's product selection department.
To open new markets, the team leader led the live-stream hosts to visit manufacturers in person. At a circuit board factory, Bati, a South African livestreamer with a background in electrical engineering grilled the manufacturer on technical specifications to better explain the product to potential buyers.
"Now I've gained a better understanding of and grew stronger interest in this product. This helps me introduce it better to customers and makes my livestreaming go smoother," said Bati.
Beyond hardware, the company has also partnered with cultural product manufacturers to test overseas demand for goods featuring traditional Chinese elements.
"These developments are creating new avenues for service expansion. We're highly confident about securing more partnerships and client opportunities moving forward," said Deng Yahui, CEO of the company.
The pivot reflects a broader trend among Chinese e-commerce firms adapting to shifting global demand and rising uncertainties by leveraging localized talent and diversified product offerings.
Chinese cross-border e-commerce firm explores new strategies to tap fresh markets
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
