Chinese Laser Engraving Team's Shopee 9.9 GMV Jumps Nearly 500% in Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia, handcrafting is becoming part of daily life for more young people, according to Leiphone. Some engrave wood into desktop ornaments, some carve names into leather to make customized wallets, and others engrave metal plates into one-of-a-kind gifts. Demand for personalized expression has pushed laser engraving equipment from a professional tool into the view of more ordinary consumers.

Elliot's team has worked in China's laser engraving equipment sector for years. With engraving machines at the core, it has added positioning, lifting, rotary, smoke exhaust and materials products, forming a relatively complete product matrix. As the business matured, Elliot, as head of the team, began to consider bringing the products and services to broader overseas markets. He chose Southeast Asia as the first stop. The team believed local consumers have high acceptance of personalized customization, from home decoration to personal gifts, and laser engraving can be used in enough scenarios. After choosing the market, the team joined Shopee and opened stores in Malaysia, Thailand and other sites.

The core value of laser engraving machines is turning creativity from an idea into a physical object. A user inputs a blessing or generates a pattern, and the device can engrave it on wood, leather or metal. But for many ordinary consumers, there are steps between deciding what to make and actually making it, including design, format conversion and importing into the device. AI functions aim to shorten that distance. 'In the past, when users had an inspiration, they still had to turn it into a pattern file the machine could recognize, and had to process it several times back and forth,' Elliot said. 'Now they can tell their ideas directly to AI.' According to Leiphone, AI in the companion software generates engraving pattern materials based on text descriptions, and after confirming the effect, directly lets the machine execute the engraving task, all within the same software. Elliot said the point of AI is that creativity is no longer limited by design ability: 'People just need to say clearly what they want to make, and leave the rest to AI and the machine.'

As the creation process becomes simpler, consumers' judgment of products changes. For users without experience, rather than studying device parameters first, they want to confirm whether the machine can help them make the work they want. That means the product needs to be seen, not just listed. 'The value of laser engraving equipment is hard to fully reflect through a parameter table. Users have to see with their own eyes how a pattern is generated and what the final product looks like before they believe the device can meet their needs,' Elliot said. Based on this judgment, the team made Shopee its first choice for overseas expansion. Shopee has a large user base in Southeast Asia and covers multiple core markets; it also offers short video, livestream and affiliate marketing tools, allowing the team to visually show the process from inspiration to finished product. In practice, the team aimed its camera at real usage scenarios: what a piece of material becomes after design and engraving, and what products can be made around different themes. For consumers still hesitating, this content provides inspiration and helps them judge whether the product suits them. This content approach echoed platform trends. On Shopee's 9.9 sale day this year, cross-border livestream duration exceeded 20 million hours, and cross-border short video views reached 130 million, according to Leiphone. More consumers are discovering and understanding products through content, giving the team's content marketing around creative scenarios more room.

When users find inspiration from content, they often search for specific equipment and compare options. The team used Shopee's GMV Max. It set investment targets, then GMV Max automatically found high-potential users more likely to order. For example, when consumers search for related equipment or browse similar products on Shopee, the system frequently displays the corresponding products on search results pages and related placements, helping users find suitable products faster. Data showed that in May this year, the store's GMV Max product transaction value rose more than 400% month on month. This path, in which content builds awareness and advertising captures demand, was amplified during the sale.

After order growth, new problems emerged: for equipment that is not small in size and weight, how can consumers receive goods more safely and quickly? Laser engraving machines are relatively large and heavy durable equipment. After placing an order, consumers expect faster delivery, intact packaging and early use. For sellers, each fulfillment after the device leaves the warehouse affects final consumer reviews and long-term conversion. 'Users buy it to start creating as soon as possible,' Elliot said. 'Especially for equipment products, whether they can be unpacked smoothly and used quickly after receipt is important for building reputation and repeat purchases.' Therefore, the team accessed Shopee's localized fulfillment in multiple markets and stocked goods locally in advance. This shortened the delivery chain after users placed orders, allowing equipment to arrive faster and more safely. In addition to delivery time, fulfillment efficiency was directly reflected in after-sales data. In the second quarter of this year, the store's return rate fell to 2% year on year, and the order cancellation rate remained at 0%. The logic is not complicated: local shipping shortens the delivery chain, reducing the risk of bumps during long-distance transport and lowering the possibility that consumers cancel orders because of long waits. Localized fulfillment also made consumers more confident in the brand and product. Laser engraving machines are not one-time purchases. After users get started, they often continue to buy engraving materials, replace accessories and explore more creative uses, meaning the category has ample repeat-purchase space. Localized fulfillment lets users receive equipment faster and start creating earlier, and a good first experience often drives subsequent consumable repurchases and word-of-mouth recommendations.

As the second-half peak sale season begins, Leiphone reported, when the creativity of China's supply chain meets Southeast Asia's consumer enthusiasm, the growth space for cross-border sellers is far broader than imagined.

Editor's Summary

A Chinese laser engraving equipment team led by Elliot reported nearly 500% year-on-year GMV growth in its Shopee stores on 9.9 sale day, after expanding in Malaysia, Thailand and other Southeast Asian sites. The team combined AI pattern generation, short video and livestream content, GMV Max advertising and localized fulfillment, with its second-quarter return rate falling to 2% and order cancellation rate at 0%, according to Leiphone.