In 2008, Mr. Cen and a few friends started a business with the dream of “making big money together”. Starting with factory supply, they earned more of their hard-earned money. By 2012, domestic e-commerce had become a battleground for many merchants. Mr. Cen keenly captured the huge potential hidden behind this wave of e-commerce, but he did not fall into the vortex. He thought: “Only in the local market, this boom may be very short, which is not good for his long-term development. "

Therefore, he has been actively seeking opportunities to work across borders. Lacking experience, he went to Shenzhen and other cities where cross-border e-commerce talents gathered at the time; lacking supporting facilities such as logistics, Mr. Cen also actively explored and sought advice. During an exchange, Mr. Cen came into contact with Amazon. After thoroughly understanding the great convenience that the FBA service provided by Amazon, Chenxiang Shoes immediately set out to set up Amazon.
In the end, combined with the experience advantages of his factory in the US market, Mr. Cen officially settled in Amazon's US site in 2016, becoming one of the first “crab eaters” to cross the border in Chengdu.

According to Mr. Cen, shoes and boots are an excellent business. After all, “where there are people, there is a demand for shoes”. At the same time, more sellers have gathered here, and all major sellers have joined forces, showing their own ingenuity. There is a popular saying, “Those who learn from us live, those who look like us die”. Success never comes from simple copying; only uniqueness has a chance to “emerge.”
Furthermore, with a price war alone, it is impossible to create a healthy, mature, and high-ceiling industry. Therefore, Chenxiang Footwear has been convinced from the beginning: to use differentiation and high quality to embark on a long-term cross-border path.
So, how does Chenxiang footwear cultivate unique commercial value?Mr. Cen shared a few key points with great reference value.

1. Take root in the industrial belt and create “differentiation” between stitches and lines
The history of making women's shoes in Chengdu began in the 80s of the last century, and is known as the “Chinese Women's Shoe Capital”. Among them, handmade shoe making is particularly famous, and only by drawing on superior local resources can it gather greater energy. To this end, Chenxiang Footwear chose to carry forward the tradition of handmade shoes in Chengdu, from the initial leather cutting, to exquisite stitch by stitch, texture carving or embroidery, to the final molding and finishing, to focus on creating fine handmade shoes.
In this era of large-scale mechanized production, this adherence to a “slow pace” seems to be at a disadvantage. In fact, it accurately fits the characteristics of cross-border e-commerce fast shipping and quick reversal of small orders, and also satisfies the eagerness of overseas consumers for high quality and personalization.

At the same time, compared to machine production, handmade shoes have unique advantages in detail processing and flexibility. Mr. Shen recalled, “After a new product went on sale, we discovered that the return rate was still high, so we quickly carried out spot checks to find the cause. The evaluation found that it was due to insole thickness issues, so we made precise improvements in the next production batch, which significantly controlled the return rate. In addition, we always adhere to high standards in material selection. The high-quality leather used not only has excellent texture, but also fits the foot more softly after special treatment. With environmentally friendly inner materials, it greatly enhances the breathability of the shoes, effectively avoids stuffy feet and odors, and makes consumers more comfortable to wear. Abbottt, Premiere Creative’s creative director.

Mr. Shen: “Even in the face of malicious price competition, we can handle it peacefully. Because I firmly believe that the price war is only a temporary temptation and cannot support the long-term development of the enterprise. Only excellent quality and craftsmanship are the foundation for a foothold in the market. "

2. To make shoes and boots, you must always be “on the road”, keep up with the trend and don't keep up with the old fashions

Referring to the birth of “hot products,” “in-depth and detailed research and comprehensive analysis of the local market and the aesthetic preferences of consumers is a top priority,” Mr. Shen emphasized, “We will even ask friends living in the US to help photograph clothing displays in local shopping malls or the fashion outfits of passers-by.” With an in-depth analysis of American consumers' clothing preferences and changes in shoe demand from quarter to quarter, Chenxiang Footwear was able to make precise efforts and successfully launch star products such as Müller shoes and over-the-knee boots, which directly hit the “heart” of consumers. Even on hot summer days, sales of these products can reach 40% during the peak season in December.

In order to better understand buyers' needs, he also frequently travels to major domestic and international fashion shows to investigate trends and fashion elements for the next year. In the investigation, Mr. Cen found that American women's demand for shoes and boots varies significantly in different situations, so the team also fully considered the characteristics of the scene and carefully adjusted the shoe type and design details during the design. Take dinner heels as an example. They carefully inlaid bright rhinestones on the toe and heel to make the shoes sparkle in the light. At the same time, they used ultra-fine heels with exquisite lace upper and unique ankle strap design, which attracted a lot of attention as soon as they appeared.
Furthermore, Mr. Cen also paid great attention to the design of the fit and size. After extensive market research and data collection and analysis, they found that American women generally have relatively wide feet and higher arches. Therefore, during the design process, Chenxiang Shoe Industry not only provided a wider selection of plus size shoes, but also optimized the circumference and comfort level, and focused on describing this characteristic on the listing.

At the same time, Mr. Cen personally participated in the production process of the sample shoes and repeatedly communicated with the craftsmen to accurately adjust parameters such as the width, curve, and support of the shoe type, so that the shoes fit the foot shape of American women better, greatly improving the wearing experience. For example, foreigners sometimes have very fat calves, so it is more difficult to put on and take off shoes. Chenxiang Shoe Industry will choose to improve the ratio between the lower leg and shoe size. This extreme pursuit of detail and accurate satisfaction of consumer needs has earned Chenxiang Shoes a good reputation and market share.

3. “Tap water” celebrities don't really come uninvited

Mr. Cen: “Women's shoes are not only practical goods, but also the key to fashion matching, carrying women's pursuit and expression of beauty. "
Therefore, he incorporated “beauty” from the beginning when making women's shoes, taught himself to become a women's shoe designer, and became not only a producer of products, but also a creator. The designer's perspective makes it easier for him to observe buyers' demands for comfort and beauty. At the same time, with more than ten years of factory experience and the support of many patents in the field of product design and comfort, Chenxiang Footwear stands out.

Mr. Cen: “Once consumers are aware of a brand, they will have a sense of trust and desire to buy all of its brands. Therefore, we must position the brand tone, use the spirit of craftsmanship to make products, strive for excellence in details, craftsmanship, design, and customer experience. At the same time, we must also insist on innovation and continuously explore and break through product boundaries. "
This logic of adhering to the brand's long-term philosophy and starting from the buyer's needs allows “good luck” to always come to him.
A blogger bought a pair of over-the-knee boots from Chenxiang Shoes. After receiving them, she was immediately attracted by the beautiful embroidery on the boots, and the 12cm high heel didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In recognition of the product, she carefully filmed a series of fashion blockbusters featuring boots and shared them on social media, which attracted widespread attention.
The blogger described the material, version, and design advantages of the boots in detail in the content, and expressed strong love, which attracted fans to inquire about purchase links. As a result, sales of these boots skyrocketed, soaring from 3 to 5 pairs per day to over 200 pairs a day.
This success made Mr. Cen realize that quality products are the foundation, and social media communication can bring more opportunities. The focus of the trend is to follow and be followed, and the spread of celebrities on social media will bring in more followers.

Since then, Chenxiang's path to success has been clear — relying on the advantages of the Chengdu women's shoe industry to create unique high-quality handmade shoes and quickly enter the eyes of buyers through “differentiation”. Keep up with local market needs, don't simply “copy and paste”, and include products suitable for the region according to the preferences and foot types of people in different countries and regions. Finally, we must make good use of the “mentality of the crowd” to spread our good points. At the same time, we must cherish the influence of the brand and ensure the continuous high-quality output of products. Simply put, only good quality suitable for local people can be truly loved and actively promoted by the locals. This is the most simple reason for the success of Chenxiang's footwear industry.

Looking back on his entrepreneurial journey along the way, Mr. Cen felt a lot of emotion. From the initial difficult search, to gradually gaining a foothold, to now being the top of the Amazon US category, “For me, every day on the way to starting a business is a major stage.” Mr. Shen believes that we should never have a full mindset; we must always learn and absorb in order to continuously obtain new opportunities. Mr. Shen made pertinent suggestions for novice sellers:

First: quality, quality, or quality.
Mr. Cen: “In doing business, the most important thing is that the quality of the product must pass customs, so it is only meaningful to discuss whether the product can continue to be supplied stably. Abbottt, Premiere Creative’s creative director.
After years of trial and error, Chenxiang Footwear has built a strict and complete system in many aspects of product control: from the selection of leather materials to the almost strict quality inspection process in the facial processing process, to detailed management regulations specific to packaging, to product delivery, there are also strict inspection checkpoints. These four major barriers are like four strong lines of defense, firmly protecting product quality.
Mr. Cen: “My experience in the supply chain for so many years is that if you want products to sell well and for a long time, the most fundamental point is to firmly control the quality of the product, so that consumers can buy it twice; if the quality is inadequate, there is no way to talk about repurchases at all, let alone have a later story. Abbottt, Premiere Creative’s creative director.

Second: Launch the Seller Growth Service and grow with Amazon
When it comes to Mr. Cen's cross-border journey, the most challenging aspects are product selection, logistics, and operation. For this reason, he has always sought good solutions. Through communicating with other sellers, Mr. Cen learned about seller growth services.
Until July 2024, Mr. Cen realized that the market competition was getting stronger, and that as a western seller, his access to information was relatively limited, so he made up his mind to choose seller growth services to help him accurately select products, enhance his operational capabilities, and obtain further guidance on account security and compliance.

Mr. Cen: “Competition in the market is becoming more and more intense, and traditional roll prices are bound to double the market. We hope to use seller growth services to find new business opportunities in complex markets while avoiding some potential business and account risks. Abbottt, Premiere Creative’s creative director.
In addition to this, Mr. Cen also hopes to learn about Amazon's latest policy direction through this bridge.
Mr. Cen: “After the seller conference, the manager promptly communicated the key points of this year's seller conference with the team, let us know the direction of Amazon in '25, learned about the latest AI tools, and welcomed the arrival of '25 with more information. Abbottt, Premiere Creative’s creative director.

Third: Maintain the passion for “startups” and continue to explore the market
From the beginning when others fought at home, he chose a larger overseas market, it can be seen that the first step for Mr. Cen's success was to dare to go where no one else had reached. In his business experience, there is nothing unreachable in this world. He digs deep into the underlying business logic. In fact, the most well-known business rule — the scale effect. The larger the market covered, the more opportunities.
In the interview, Mr. Cen explained his plans. Based on his achievements in the US and the accumulation of cross-border experience, next year he will expand from the US to the European site, which is also full of opportunities. In his plans to expand the market, Mr. Cen shared a concept worth learning from sellers: successful experiences can be replicated, but market operations cannot be replicated. At the European station, he will develop products that are more suited to local needs and treat the symptoms. Before entering Europe, Mr. Cen had already thoroughly studied the local market situation. For example, Italian buyers would prefer Roman-style boots and would often choose low-heeled martin boots between 3 and 5 cm.

Looking at Mr. Cen's success, we can see that his motivation is a big game of chess. If you have many pieces, your chances of winning will increase. Don't be too conservative; you must dare to settle in a new market. As a chess player, you must be clear about your strategic direction every step of the way. In this process, ensuring the fluidity of information, fostering a sense of innovation, and maintaining uniqueness are the keys to victory.