Author: Xiaoyun

Image source | pexels

In the ever-changing world of cross-border commerce, there seems to be no shortage of myths about getting rich overnight.

In August 2024, a video about "steam mops" went viral on TikTok, garnering 23 million views in just a few days and bringing nearly 3.8 million in sales for the brand Schenley, while the video's creator @happylittle_home had only 21,900 followers.

This "ant fighting an elephant" scenario has made many brands envious. In fact, this is not the first time Schenley has achieved such a feat; back in June, they collaborated with another micro-influencer who had 35,600 followers, resulting in nearly 15 million exposures.

As of February 2025, Schenley's TikTok shop had a total transaction volume of 13.4023 million USD, and several of its products still ranked among the top 10 in Amazon's Best Seller list.

So, how did Schenley create viral videos on TikTok? And how did they quickly establish a foothold after becoming popular?

Monthly sales of a single product exceed 10 million

The author learned that Schenley belongs to Shenzhen Xin'enli Technology Co., Ltd., established in 2021, focusing on innovative product development for home cleaning scenarios, and is a complete newcomer in the small appliance sector.

According to Statista, the global small appliance market was approximately 243 billion USD in 2023 and is expected to grow to 305 billion USD by 2028. The small appliance market has always been a red ocean in the overseas industry, and under the market characteristics of "large track, small categories, highly segmented," it is particularly important for newcomers to find the right direction, which Schenley is well aware of.

In 2024, Schenley's steam mop "Hestia" quickly became popular on TikTok, selling 16,000 units in just one month, with a total transaction volume of 10.5236 million yuan, securing the first place in TikTok's home appliance category and bringing the previously lukewarm steam mop category back into consumers' view.

Image source: kalodata

So, among the many cleaning small appliances, why did Schenley choose the seemingly insignificant category of "steam mops"?

According to Business Research Insights, the global steam cleaner market is expected to reach approximately 3.86 billion USD in 2024 It is expected that by 2033, the global steam cleaner market size will reach USD 7.48 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.6%. Among them, North America is the largest consumer market for steam mops, accounting for about 35% of the market share.

Source: Business Research Insights

On one hand, due to the outbreak of the global pandemic, the demand for disinfection and sterilization has significantly increased, leading to a surge in steam mop sales, with growth rates continuing to expand and a broad market outlook.

On the other hand, as a subcategory of cleaning appliances, steam mops were initially mainly used in environments requiring strict disinfection, such as hospitals and laboratories. Their entry into the consumer home market has been relatively short, and compared to popular categories like vacuum cleaners and robotic vacuums, there is still considerable potential for innovation and development.

Therefore, Schenley has targeted the North American cleaning appliance market and focused on the core category of "steam mops." The author observed that after gaining popularity, Schenley did not rush to expand its product categories but instead created segmented products around scenarios such as "floor cleaning, carpet cleaning, and general cleaning," thoroughly penetrating the core category of "steam cleaners."

At the same time, Schenley has adopted a multi-channel parallel overseas strategy, not only launching an independent site and TikTok Shop but also entering mainstream overseas e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Walmart, building a comprehensive and multi-layered sales network to enhance brand penetration and competitiveness in the target market.

Through diversified sales strategies, Schenley has secured the top-selling position on TikTok, Amazon, and Walmart for 2024. As of now, several of Schenley's products remain in the top 10 of Amazon's bestsellers, with monthly sales exceeding 3,000 units and monthly revenue surpassing hundreds of thousands of dollars for individual products.

Focusing on Core Users to Build Differentiated Advantages

Schenley understands that in the homogeneous red ocean of small appliances, only by identifying its core user group and creating products with differentiated value around user needs can it stand out in fierce market competition and build a brand moat.

Therefore, after research, Schenley has targeted "housewives" as its core audience and fully considered their needs and preferences in brand building and product design.

In terms of brand building, Schenley aims to "make the cleaning process simple and elegant," using a warm narrative of "liberating from monotonous chores with efficient cleaning tools and returning time to family" to evoke emotional resonance between the brand and consumers.

Source: Schenley

At the same time, Schenley also names its products, creating a differentiated brand image filled with humanistic care by endowing cold technological products with anthropomorphic emotional expectations, effectively enhancing brand market recognition and loyalty.

For example, "Hestia" comes from the goddess of the hearth and home in ancient Greek mythology, symbolizing family, warmth, and peace; "Iris" has meanings related to the goddess of the rainbow and the iris flower, conveying beauty, elegance, hope, and joy; while "Doris" originates from the sea goddess in Greek mythology, symbolizing grace, nobility, and feminine charm...

Source: Schenley

However, Schenley also understands that no matter how precise the market positioning or how moving the emotional marketing, it ultimately needs to return to the product itself. On the product side, Schenley always revolves around the brand philosophy of "simple and elegant," conducting differentiated innovation based on users' real needs.

Taking its flagship product "Hestia" as an example: in terms of design, Schenley adopts a lightweight rear body design, making the overall shape light and elegant, which not only aligns better with ergonomic principles but also provides a more user-friendly experience for female users.

In terms of color selection, Schenley uses deep pink as an accent, creating a stark contrast with the commonly seen black, white, and gray products on the market, thus forming a differentiated visual memory point.

Functionally, Schenley positions "multi-functional, multi-accessories, freely combinable" as its core selling point, launching a series of dedicated attachments that allow users to freely choose and disassemble according to different needs, meeting cleaning requirements in various scenarios such as bathrooms, kitchens, and windows, satisfying users' diverse and autonomous needs.

Additionally, reasonable price positioning is also a key reason why Schenley stands out. On its independent site, Schenley's product price range is between $49.9 and $399.9, but its core product prices remain between $99.9 and $129, which is considered mid-range, ensuring product quality while lowering users' decision-making costs.

Schenley's TikTok Viral Rule

In August 2024, a video collaboration between Schenley and micro-influencer @happylittle_home went viral on TikTok, garnering nearly 23 million views with 21,900 followers, directly driving approximately 3.8 million yuan in sales.

Fastmoss data shows that as of February 20, 2025, Schenley's TikTok shop total sales reached approximately 148,500, with a total transaction amount of $13.4023 million, ranking 5th in the monthly best-selling list in the home appliance category, with influencer-driven sales accounting for as high as 91.12%

Source: Fastmoss

In Schenley's promotional videos, several videos have surpassed 10 million views, while the influencer's follower count is less than 50,000. This shows that Schenley's success on TikTok is not accidental, but rather the result of a precise and efficient traffic strategy that can filter and produce a series of viral videos in bulk.

In influencer collaborations, Schenley does not prioritize follower count but focuses more on the match between the influencer and the product. Fastmoss data shows that as of February 20, 2025, Schenley has collaborated with 16,000 influencers, of which about 39% have follower counts between 10,000 and 50,000, mainly targeting mid-tier influencers, including home bloggers, housewives, and organization bloggers in the home and lifestyle category.

By collaborating with a large number of small and micro lifestyle influencers, Schenley can form a wide-reaching network and effectively reach potential users, conveying product information to the target audience.

Source: Fastmoss

In addition to "casting a wide net to catch more fish," Schenley also has its own viral content rules, which I summarize as "specific life scenarios + essential pain points + real effect demonstration."

In the videos, influencers typically hold Schenley's products while cleaning common household areas such as refrigerators, stoves, ovens, and tile gaps, demonstrating how the products tackle these household hygiene challenges, and finally showcasing the real cleaning results through before-and-after comparisons.

At the same time, Schenley's promotional videos do not pursue perfect visual effects but focus more on the authenticity and practicality of the content. This raw and realistic style, rich in everyday life, not only resonates more with the audience but also enhances user trust and purchase willingness.

Taking the collaboration with lifestyle micro-influencer @Shanisty Johnson as an example, in the video, Shanisty cleans a white door frame while reviewing the product, then transitions to various places such as walls, curtains, and refrigerator doors, emphasizing the product's efficiency and adaptability to multiple scenarios through relatable language and before-and-after comparisons, ultimately achieving 17.68 million exposures and generating sales of $596,000 with her 37,000 followers.

Image source: TikTok

In addition, Schenley has also established a presence on mainstream overseas social media platforms such as Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram, deeply cultivating the North American market through content marketing, community marketing, email marketing, and other methods, continuously expanding brand awareness.

BrandArk Observes Brands

According to data from the General Administration of Customs, from January to July 2024, China's small home appliance export volume reached 2.06 billion units, with an export value of approximately 409.19 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.1%.

The small home appliance export market has already entered a heated stage. As a newcomer, Schenley did not recklessly enter the market but instead found the right direction, focusing on the "steam cleaning" niche and conducting micro-innovations around its core user group, creating products with "strong design sense + multifunctionality," ultimately building a differentiated brand moat.

At the same time, Schenley has successfully created multiple viral videos through its "broad net, catch many fish" influencer marketing strategy, utilizing the content formula of "specific life scenarios + essential pain points + real effect demonstrations," repeatedly staging impressive performances with small investments.

In the future, it is worth looking forward to whether Schenley can go further.

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