Shenzhen Vijim Technology Co. (Vijim Technology) today announced that Frost & Sullivan has ranked its flagship brand Ulanzi No. 1 worldwide by sales volume in photography accessories for 2024, according to a study completed in June 2025 [1]. This accolade marks a milestone for Chinese innovation in the global photography accessories market and affirms Vijim Technology’s long-term strategy and user co-creation model in a highly competitive category.
In an industry known for rapid product cycles, price wars, and look-alike offerings, William Zou (Qing Zou), founder of Vijim Technology, chose a different course. Rather than chasing volume through discounting or broad distribution at any cost, the company doubled down on value creation, R&D-led innovation, and brand building—foundations that now underpin a multi-brand strategy and sustained global expansion.
“We don’t compete on price; we compete on value. That’s the essence of our long-term approach—and how we’ve built a durable moat around our business,” said William, in an interview with New Tide of Consumption.
From Trading Price for Volume to Process-Driven, Product-Led Growth: Competing on Value, Not Price
- Early on, Vijim chased growth through thin margins and subsidy-backed promotions, which produced short-term gains but were ultimately unsustainable. The company pivoted to profitable growth and operational discipline, building a robust process-driven management system. Key initiatives included establishing a dedicated process management department and fully implementing an integrated product development (IPD) system;
- Embedding waste reduction as a cultural principle across functions.
By 2024, Vijim sustained rapid iteration while saving approximately RMB 20 million in annual costs. The company can roll out compatible accessories within 1–2 weeks of new photography device launches—earning it a reputation with distributors as one of the fastest-responding brands in the category.
Turning User Co-Creation into Repeatable Innovation
If process excellence is Vijim Technology’s “internal strength,” its “external strength” lies in its user-centered operating model. The company has put in place a closed feedback loop for user co-creation, anchored in three pillars:
- Founder-level engagement: William directly interacts with more than 10,000 users via social and private channels to capture real-time feedback.
- Dedicated user research: A specialized team continuously mines social and e-commerce feedback to distill actionable insights.
- Structured product retrospectives: Annual reviews of the top 10 successful and failed products institutionalize learning and prevent repeated mistakes.
Taken together, these practices are far from isolated—they form the backbone of Vijim’s user-centered design (UCD) co-creation model. The model provides a clearer roadmap for product decisions and has helped the brand scale with fewer false starts, contributing to a durable competitive edge.
This approach has led to several standout innovations:
- Claw Quick-Release System, co-developed over a year with creators on Bilibili, which meaningfully reduces solo-creator gear-switch time and helped establish a new quick-release subcategory;
- Gear Tree, co-created with professional filmmakers, offering a modular mounting solution tailored to small studio workflows.
“Stay close to users and you’ll uncover far more unmet needs—innovation rarely plateaus,” said William.
Globalization Meets Localization: Multi-Brand, Multi-Language Operations
Vijim Technology moved early on international expansion—well ahead of many peers that were still treating overseas sales as basic export business. Instead of a one-size-fits-all push, the company built multi-platform, multi-language presences and set up localized teams in priority markets to deepen engagement and improve operating efficiency.
Today, Vijim runs social media channels in more than a dozen languages—including Japanese, Russian, and Arabic—with audiences ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of followers.
Product planning is tuned to real local demand. For example, in Africa, Vijim prioritizes professional lighting solutions rather than a livestreaming-accessory-only mix.
The company’s multi-brand strategy continues to evolve: Ulanzi serves independent content creators with user-driven innovation, while FALCAM focuses on original design and patent-driven differentiation, addressing a broader range of professional users.
Note
- Based on Frost & Sullivan research on the global photography-accessories market; rankings calculated from 2024 global sales volumes across all channels. The study was completed in June 2025.
About Shenzhen Vijim Technology Co.
Headquartered in Shenzhen, Shenzhen Vijim Technology Co., Ltd. is the parent company of Ulanzi and FALCAM, With a decade of development, the company specializes in R&D, design and sales of photography accessories, and delivers end-to-end solutions for creators at every skill level and across diverse use cases. In June 2025, Frost & Sullivan ranked Ulanzi No. 1 worldwide by sales volume in photography accessories for 2024. As a privately held company, Vijim Technology does not publicly disclose financial information.
Media Contact
Jocelyn Liao
PR@ulanzi.cn
