In recent years, cross-border e-commerce has gradually become one of the most closely watched sectors in the global retail landscape. As international market competition intensifies, how enterprises shift from relying solely on price advantages to being driven by brand and technology has become the central focus of industry development. In this transformation, one female entrepreneur from China stands out prominently—Fengyuan Cui, co-founder of Shenzhen Yingyutong Technology Co.,Ltd. and an expert in marketing technology.

As a Master of Business Administration graduate from LINGNAN COLLEGE SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY, Fengyuan Cui has consistently combined “research” with “practice.” Rather than limiting herself to the traditional role of a market manager, she approached the cross-border e-commerce sector with a data-driven mindset, converting market insights into executable marketing strategies. Under her leadership, the company has not only deepened its presence in the fishing tackle category on the Amazon platform but also registered and applied multiple independent brands in the United States, enabling Chinese enterprises to gain a foothold in the highly competitive North American market.

Behind these achievements lies a deep understanding of industry pain points. In 2021, many cross-border enterprises stagnated amid global supply chain disruptions and uncertainties in overseas markets, and Shenzhen Yingyutong Technology Co.,Ltd. was no exception. The problems included insufficient market research, unfocused advertising investment, and weak growth. Leveraging her research background, Fengyuan Cui developed a predictive model based on consumer behavior data and introduced a differentiated advertising strategy within her team. This initiative drove the company’s overseas sales to grow by more than 30% in a single fiscal year and boosted advertising ROI by over 40%, completely reversing the company’s downturn.

More importantly, she was not content with short-term numerical growth but focused on building research capabilities within the enterprise. She emphasized the importance of not relying on external agencies but instead establishing in-house mechanisms for market analysis and data modeling. Compared with the common practice of many cross-border firms that depend heavily on third-party service providers, this self-built research approach not only improved responsiveness but also created long-term competitive advantages. Her thinking demonstrates both the rigor of academic research and the execution power of entrepreneurial practice.

Her efforts also gave “a small niche” a “greater significance.” Fishing tackle is a segmented market with a vast consumer base in the United States, yet Chinese companies have long lacked brand influence there. Through independent brand registration and refined operations, Fengyuan Cui led her team to break free from the old model of price-based competition, transforming “manufacturing” into “branding,” and thereby securing more discourse power for Chinese enterprises. Viewed from a broader perspective, this model offers a new pathway for the entire cross-border e-commerce sector: rather than relying solely on cost advantages, enterprises can win recognition in international markets by combining research with branding.

Industry observers point out that cross-border e-commerce is at a critical juncture: shifting from rough expansion to refined operations, and from single-product traffic to long-term brand accumulation. This trend requires enterprises to possess both data sensitivity and long-term strategic vision. Fengyuan Cui’s practices align perfectly with this direction. Her model of “data-driven operations + localized branding” provides a real-world case study on how enterprises can gain stability in complex international markets.

The significance of Fengyuan Cui’s work also goes beyond the company itself. Her methodology and experience hold reference value for the U.S. market as well. Her emphasis on consumer behavior insights, precision marketing, and independent brand building can provide lessons for more enterprises, making cross-border cooperation more efficient. For the industry, this represents a potential way to foster greater connectivity between the Chinese and U.S. markets.

In my conversation with her, she once summed it up briefly: “The market is not a pile of numbers, but the behaviors and choices behind the data.” This concise statement encapsulates her philosophy—rational, pragmatic, yet forward-looking. In the future landscape of cross-border e-commerce, researchers and practitioners like Fengyuan Cui may well become vital forces driving the industry’s evolution.