Chinese Brand to Know: TFStents
This is a series from our weekly newsletter in which we introduce a Chinese brand you need to know. Because 1) there are some seriously cool Chinese brands out there doing some great marketing and 2) we believe it can help you better localize your own marketing in China. Get the newsletter sent directly to your inbox instead of having to visit our website next time.
BRAND NAME
TFStents (自由之魂)
CATEGORY
Outdoor camping equipment
PRICE POINT
From USD 43.00 to USD 430.00 per tent
From USD 4.00 to USD 15.00 for accessories
TARGET AUDIENCE
Consumers in first-and second-tier cities who yearn for high-end camping experiences
Age: 25-50 yrs old, with a family
Characteristics:
Young people chasing trends and middle-class families who value time spent together are key characteristics of camping enthusiasts.
TFStents consumers in particular are keen on self-guided travel and like to share their life through photos and videos. Most are food lovers, passionate about learning new areas, and commonly work as programmers or doctors.
Compared with the popularity of the brand, they pay more attention to the appearance, design details, practicality, and maintainability of the product. They expect personalized, customized services, and are more accepting of a higher price tag.
WHAT THEY ARE DOING WELL
Identified a market opportunity: TFStents understands that family-oriented camping culture is a growing market opportunity in China. To capture their ideal audience the brand has focused on developing large, beautiful tents with a thoughtful design.
Highly localized: Although the tent category is well developed in Europe and the United States, the Chinese founder of TFStents doesn’t just copy & paste but designs new frame structures and functions by closely observing the needs of local consumers.
Allow customers to recognize quality: Since the brand is positioned in the niche mid-to-high-end market, it insists on displaying products offline. Putting the onus on the quality design and materials to attract a customer who understands quality. These details give TFStents a competitive edge over big brands with a unified assembly line.
Careful & collaborative influencer selection: In the selection of KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders, aka influencers), they pay special attention to whether the influencer’s values are aligned with the brand and whether they have a good sense of aesthetics. They will also exchange ideas on environmental protection and product structure with these influential users, so as to improve the brand and products.
Build relationships with customers: Through contact with female consumers, the brand is able to research and develop attractive, lightweight tent products, and through the process gains loyal followers on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu.
WHAT CAN OTHER BRANDS LEARN?
1. Have in-depth product knowledge: For start-up brands, the more the founders know about their products, the more accurate market positioning they can find.
2. Co-create with your audience: Especially in a market as unique and competitive as China, ensuring your products are the perfect match for your customers is paramount. There’s no better way to make that happen than by making customers part of your product development process.
3. Be on the right platform, not every platform: When a large investment in marketing is not possible at an early stage, concentrate efforts and find a platform that is most suitable according to the characteristics and advantages of the brand, so as to lay the foundation for expanding the brand awareness.
CHANNELS
