Amber Zhang 1215820631@qq.com LUO HUIPING, chairman of the Shenzhen-based company SIHOO, has a clear mission: to create a more comfortable work and living environment. The company, a leading innovator in smart furniture, manufactures ergonomic products like smart chairs and intelligent height-adjustable desks designed for “future offices.” SIHOO has experienced significant growth since its founding in 2011, expanding its reach to more than 85 countries and regions. The company reported revenues of US$220 million in 2024, selling over 1.5 million units of furniture. “We proactively identify users’ needs to fulfill their vision of a healthy and comfortable work?life experience,” Luo said. He was recently honored as a distinguished entrepreneur in the “Top 45 Shenzhen Brands in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone’s 45 Years of Development” white paper. Spotting market potential Over the past decade, more Chinese rely on computers, and intensive desk work has become prevalent. Data from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), one of the world’s largest long?term population health studies, show that Chinese citizens spend more than one?third of their day — 8.8 hours on average — seated. Long work hours and sedentary lifestyles can contribute to physical ailments. For example, more than 100 million people had lumbar disease associated with sedentary lifestyles in 2015, according to China’s National Health Commission. CBNData’s ergonomic chair market reports project that the number of people suffering lower?back pain caused by prolonged sitting will reach 843 million globally this year. Luo, who has long been involved in home furnishings manufacturing, sensed an opportunity in the ergonomic chair industry. He explained that, due to the surging demand for solutions to sedentary health issues, the past five years have been crucial for SIHOO’s development. According to Euromonitor, SIHOO has sold the most chairs and achieved top revenues on e?commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com for three consecutive years (2022–2024). SIHOO’s sales during this year’s 618 Shopping Festival grew by 48% on Tmall and 39% on JD.com year on year. Currently, SIHOO operates 105 brick?and?mortar stores in 47 Chinese cities and six abroad, and it is accelerating its overseas expansion. Pioneering ergonomic chair innovations The huge market demand for ergonomic chairs underpins SIHOO’s decision to invest 13-16% of annual revenue in research and development (R&D), according to Luo. Presently, the company is producing its fourth generation of ergonomic chairs. The T6 model, SIHOO’s flagship smart ergonomic chair, integrates health management systems, intelligent ergonomics, immersive acoustics, and massage functions. Equipped with precision body sensors, it can collect real-time posture data and generate personalized health reports, transforming risks from prolonged sitting into “quantifiable health management.” User feedback is the key to SIHOO’s innovation. Because more than 80% of its sales are direct-to-customer, the company’s 100+ member R&D team can use immediate feedback to upgrade products. “The lumbar support design of the M18 ergonomic chair was greatly improved based on users’ feedbacks. The star product sold over 4 million units since its birth in 2015,” Luo said. To further boost the efficacy of its products, the company has established strategic partnerships with renowned orthopedists. It has collected data on spine-related problems from a chiropractic clinic to better understand the needs of potential customers. Expanding overseas SIHOO began targeting overseas markets in 2017, attending exhibitions in more than 10 countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Those initial footholds were costly and hard?won. “SIHOO invested US$695,975 in overseas expansion in 2017, but earned less than half that amount in revenues from overseas markets,” Luo said. A major obstacle was market structure: intermediaries held a near monopoly on ergonomic chairs in North America and Europe, while demand in developing countries skewed toward mid?to?low?end products and was unstable. Still, Luo spotted an opportunity. Because many ergonomic chairs in Europe and North America relied on technology developed 20 to 40 years ago, SIHOO carved out a niche by selling directly online to overseas customers beginning in 2018. “The ergonomic chairs in our first shipment, which were more advanced than the mainstream products in those markets, sold out in less than 10 days during a trial sale in 2018,” Luo said. Customers in Europe and North America were impressed: SIHOO’s products delivered a better experience at lower prices. Since 2022 the company has rolled out more mid?to?high?end ergonomic lines, and its in?house products have been certified to nine international standards, including REACH (EU), BIFMA (U.S.) and EN1355 (Europe). “These efforts helped us earn trust from customers during our global expansion,” Luo said. After successes in Europe and North America, SIHOO began exploring Japan. “Japanese consumers have shown increasing acceptance of Chinese brands in recent years, and the potential for high?end products is vast,” Luo said. He stressed that growing sales in particular markets will require deeper localization. “We need to carefully consider local consumers’ needs and preferences to design user?friendly products,” he noted, citing a special ergonomic chair that incorporates tatami for the Japanese market. Optimistic about future expansion, Luo said his company renamed its overseas marketing department “SIHOO International” and elevated it to a more strategically important role. According to a Statista report, the global smart?home manufacturing market was valued at US$10.8 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.5%, reaching US$23.3 billion by 2027. To engage global consumers, SIHOO partnered with UNESCO in April on an educational support project in Tanzania, donating ergonomic chairs to improve local teachers’ working conditions and help reduce talent loss caused by occupational?health issues. “I hope more people will recognize that ergonomic chairs and other ergonomically designed products are important for healthy working. Improving the work environment isn’t just about building modern offices; it’s also about providing meaningful occupational?health support,” Luo said. | 