What is the magic of DIY knitting toy kits that attracts countless people to buy them?
A DIY knitting toy kit that costs no more than 20 yuan in China is hot-selling at 35 to 45 US dollars in the overseas market, with a premium of more than 10 times. The Wooble, a DIY knitting brand founded by an Asian couple, has soared to 7 million US dollars in annual revenue in just four years.
So, what is the unique charm of The Woobles that makes consumers willing to pay for it? How does it stand out in the fiercely competitive DIY market and establish a strong brand appeal?
In the fast-paced urban life, pressure and competition are always there, making people feel depressed. Finding an effective way to relieve stress has become an urgent need for everyone. For Justine, crochet is such a way to relax her mind and stimulate creativity. As a former Google user experience designer, Justine gradually felt tired and confused in the high pressure and promotion path in the workplace. Adrian, who is also struggling in the financial industry, also longs for a more real and satisfying life.
By chance, at a friend’s party, Justine encountered crochet. The soft yarn seemed to have a magical power, allowing her to find the long-lost peace and fun in knitting. Although her first attempt at knitting a plush toy was not smooth, after weeks of hard work, combined with information from YouTube videos, diagrams and knitting blogs, she finally succeeded in knitting a cute penguin doll. This sense of achievement not only made her proud, but also became the starting point of the brand The Woobles.
During the knitting process, Justine found that there was a lack of high-quality knitting kits suitable for beginners on the market. She realized that if such tools and tutorials could be provided, it would not only teach people new skills, but also bring spiritual comfort and a sense of accomplishment. Therefore, she and Adrian decided to turn this hobby into a business and founded The Woobles in 2020. At first, they only spent $200 to buy the first batch of yarn and domain names, and set up a brand website.
The Woobles’ first product line includes beautifully designed DIY knitting kits, each of which is equipped with detailed professional video tutorials to ensure that novices can easily get started. The brand name “The Woobles” means warmth, softness and comfort, which is exactly the feeling they hope to convey to every user.
Justine and Adrian hope that through The Woobles, more people can find a quiet place in the busy and stressful life and rediscover the beauty and creativity of life.
From a technical perspective, the threshold of the knitting doll industry is relatively low, and there are many similar products on the market. However, the reason why The Woobles can stand out is its precise market positioning – focusing on beginners and handicraft enthusiasts, and deeply understanding the consumer needs and psychology of this market segment.
DIY handicrafts continue to be popular around the world, and viewers are keen to watch handicraft videos, not only because of the relaxation and healing brought by the videos, but also because of the great satisfaction and fun brought by hand-made. Especially for overseas consumers, experiential consumption is particularly popular. What they pursue is not only the finished product, but also the fun and emotional release in the creative process.
The Woobles accurately captures this point and digs deep into the emotional value of the product. They provide not only knitting tools and materials, but also a full-scale experience. Through clear and easy-to-understand video tutorials, high-quality materials and exquisite packaging design, The Woobles allows users to gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence in the creative process. This experience greatly enhances the value of the product and brings spiritual comfort to users.
It is this strategy of transforming products into unique experiences that has enabled The Woobles to successfully capture the hearts of users and achieve a gorgeous transformation from an ordinary DIY kit to a high-value brand. By giving products rich emotional connotations and meanings, The Woobles has not only won the love of consumers, but also achieved significant value-added.
In July 2020, The Woobles quickly accumulated a large number of fans with the power of social media. Especially after participating in the well-known American business program “Shark Tank”, the brand influence has risen sharply and gained unprecedented attention. By the time the show aired in 2022, its total sales had exceeded US$5.3 million and are expected to reach US$7 million by the end of the year.
Today, The Woobles’ annual revenue has long surpassed the US$7 million mark. Its knitting kit products are not only popular in the US market, but have also successfully entered the international arena such as Europe and Asia, showing strong market competitiveness and broad development prospects.
Visiting thewoobles.com, most users will be impressed by its colorful and rich visual design.
The Woobles promises on the homepage banner: “Let novices learn to knit woolen toys.” This slogan directly expands the target audience to ordinary consumers, no longer limited to the enthusiast group.
Continuing to browse, The Woobles shows a large number of user feedback pictures of finished products, and adds: “It’s very simple, everyone can learn it.” These vivid examples effectively eliminate the concerns of potential consumers and prove that even novices can make exquisite knitted toys.
In terms of product materials, they innovatively use nylon/polyester tubes. Unlike traditional sand threads, this material is not easy to wear or split during the knitting process, allowing knitters to clearly see the number of needles in each round, greatly improving the convenience and accuracy of knitting.
Each knitting kit is accompanied by a detailed professional tutorial, which is clear and easy to understand, ensuring that beginners with zero basics can easily get started.
What is particularly considerate is that The Woobles has prepared exclusive video tutorials for left-handed users. According to statistics, more than 30% of left-handed users said that these tutorials greatly facilitated their learning process and enhanced their favorability towards the brand.
In terms of packaging design, The Woobles not only uses bold and bright colors and hand-painted illustrations, but also clearly marks that this is a DIY project rather than a finished product to avoid consumer misunderstanding.
Inside the main packaging bag, all product elements are printed with the brand logo, which not only enhances the unpacking experience, but also keeps the packaging simple and free of redundant items.
From colorful yarn tapes and stickers to fun instruction cards and envelopes, every detail has been carefully planned to create a complete and fun Woobling experience.
Through this series of comprehensive product designs, The Woobles not only provides users with an excellent knitting experience, but also stands out among many DIY knitting kit brands.