2025-07-22
Driven by the dual trends of global health consumption and cross-border e-commerce dividends, China's small and medium-sized sauna equipment enterprises have recently delivered impressive results. According to the latest data from industry associations, in the first half of 2025, the foreign trade order volume of small and medium-sized sauna equipment enterprises included in the statistics will increase by more than 50% year-on-year. Among them, transactions reached through cross-border e-commerce channels account for 67%, becoming the core engine driving exports.
A sauna equipment manufacturer in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, which has only been established for 4 years, sold home sauna rooms equipped with intelligent temperature control systems to more than 20 countries including Germany and Canada through platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba International Station in the second quarter of this year. The monthly order volume exceeded 3000 units, doubling compared to the same period last year. In the past, relying on foreign trade companies for OEM manufacturing compressed profit margins to below 15%. Now, by directly connecting with overseas customers, the gross profit margin has increased to 35%. "The company leader revealed that cross-border e-commerce not only allows products to directly reach the end market, but real-time feedback from users has also become an important basis for product iteration. In response to the characteristics of European and American home bathroom spaces, they launched foldable sauna rooms within three months and quickly entered the platform's hot selling list.
The empowerment effect of cross-border e-commerce platforms continues to be highlighted. According to data from Alibaba International Station, the search volume for the keyword "sauna equipment" increased by 89% year-on-year from January to June 2025, with the search popularity of smart and small-sized products rising by 120% and 95% respectively. The "3D Exhibition Hall" function launched by the platform allows overseas buyers to view product details online, and with the help of overseas warehouse pre stocking, the delivery cycle has been shortened from 45 days to within 7 days. With this model, an enterprise in Foshan, Guangdong, obtained a 210% year-on-year increase in orders from Australia through the platform in June.
Industry experts analyze that the explosive growth of small and medium-sized sauna equipment enterprises is due to their precise targeting of three major trends: firstly, the proportion of global household health expenditures has increased in the post pandemic era, with the penetration rate of home sauna rooms in the European and American markets rising from 8% in 2020 to 15%; Secondly, cross-border e-commerce breaks down regional barriers, allowing specialized and innovative small and medium-sized manufacturers to bypass traditional trade intermediaries; Thirdly, the advantages of the supply chain are prominent. China's sauna equipment industry belt has formed a complete chain from core components to complete machine assembly, and the price of products with the same configuration is about 40% lower than that of local brands in Europe and America.
With the continuous implementation of tariff reduction policies in the RCEP region, the Southeast Asian market has become a new growth point. A far-infrared sauna room from a company in Quanzhou, Fujian, saw a 180% year-on-year increase in sales in markets such as Vietnam and Malaysia in the first half of this year. The company's leader stated, "Cross border e-commerce allows us to quickly respond to emerging market demands, such as mold resistant materials optimized for Southeast Asia's humid and hot climate. Within three months of going public, we captured 23% of the local segmented market share.
