How Does a Brand Sell 100 Million Packs of Wet Wipes?

This case is not from the 1990s but is happening today amid fierce market competition. Deyou, a “new” consumer brand focused on wet wipes, has found remarkable success, partly due to strategic innovations in product design and the careful selection of reliable wet wipes raw material.

So, how did Deyou turn things around from a lukewarm start? Today, we will explore two key factors behind Deyou’s journey to understand what makes it a best-seller.

Segmenting the Category to Open New Markets

The first factor is Deyou’s clever segmentation of the market, which allowed them to create a whole new category. Before 2019, Deyou was just another tissue company in Zhengzhou, China, producing wet wipes like many others. However, they strategically decided to shift focus from baby wet wipes to wet toilet paper for adults. Five years ago, the founder saw the declining birth rate and recognized an opportunity: what if they could sell wet wipes to adults instead?

This insight led them to introduce wet toilet paper as a substitute for regular toilet paper, providing a level of care and cleanliness that dry paper couldn’t match. By positioning wet toilet paper as an essential product, Deyou found a unique way to expand the market. Of course, the high quality of their wet wipes raw material played a key role in ensuring product reliability and user satisfaction. With frequent usage and strong repurchase rates, their wet toilet paper quickly became a hit.

Building the Brand as an Expert in Wet Toilet Paper

With a successful new category, the next step was to build brand recognition and establish Deyou as the go-to expert in wet toilet paper. In China, where successful products quickly attract imitators, Deyou needed to create a brand image that would withstand competition. They achieved this by promoting themselves as experts in wet toilet paper, emphasizing superior cleanliness over traditional dry paper.

Deyou introduced three key standards for their wet toilet paper: no unrolling, tear resistance, and water resilience. They also emphasized how the quality of their wet wipes raw material contributed to these benefits. In addition, Deyou launched an advertising campaign highlighting how “three sheets of dry toilet paper aren’t as effective as one sheet of Deyou’s wet toilet paper,” drawing consumer attention and interest. Over time, Deyou solidified its image as the industry leader, becoming synonymous with wet toilet paper, much like Colgate is with toothpaste.

In 2023, Deyou amplified its efforts with extensive media coverage to associate the brand directly with wet toilet paper in consumers' minds. The results were impressive: Deyou achieved sales of 2 billion units and now holds around 40% of the wet toilet paper market, a testament to the power of effective category segmentation and brand building. Key to their success was the consistent quality of their wet wipes raw material, ensuring they met consumer expectations.

Supporting Success Behind the Scenes

Deyou’s remarkable rise is supported not only by its market strategy but also by the quality and reliability of its supply chain. As a supplier of wet wipes lids, we’re proud to support Deyou on this journey. While a wet wipes lid might be a small component in the overall product, it plays a crucial role in maintaining hygiene and user convenience. High-quality materials, like the ones we provide for Deyou’s wet wipes lids, contribute to the brand’s long-term success.

Our wet wipes lids are designed to ensure durability and ease of use, making sure each product functions as it should. Being chosen by Deyou underscores our commitment to providing excellent wet wipes raw material, including our highly regarded wet wipes lids. While these components might seem small, they are essential in delivering the quality and reliability that consumers expect.

We are thrilled to be part of Deyou’s growth, helping them meet the needs of a market that demands high performance and convenience. Through this collaboration, we’ve demonstrated that even the simplest wet wipes raw material—like a well-designed wet wipes lid—can have a big impact on the user experience.