100-Year-Old Vitamix Experiences Newfound Growth in China

Ohio-based Vitamix, which entered the Chinese market through Alibaba’s Tmall in 2019, has experienced tremendous global growth over the past three years. By taking advantage of the growing interest in home appliances in China, the 100-year old company has grown 55% on Alibaba’s ecommerce platforms in 2022.

In selling the Vitamix lifestyle to consumers in China, the company draws on its history of embracing new marketing tools. For example, when Vitamix Founder William G. ‘Papa’ Barnard approached the local TV station for airtime to promote Vitamix in the US in 1949, he invented what is now known as the infomercial. Today, Alibaba’s livestreaming capabilities provide a new way for Vitamix to engage directly with the next generation of consumers in China.

“Livestreamed content not only educates consumers on how to gain the full benefits of their blender but also builds trust in the brand,” said Lisa Klein, vice president of commercial and international household sales at Vitamix.

“We’ve been doing phenomenal (in China),” reports Don Synder, senior vice president of global sales at Vitamix. “With the reach that Alibaba’s Tmall has, we can get to millions and millions of people.”

“We’ve been doing phenomenal (in China)”

—Don Synder, SVP. Global Sales at Vitamix