Phone cases have quickly evolved into a vital tech accessory for everyone due to the popularity of smart devices. They were originally designed to protect expensive mobile phones from being damaged, but “good-looking” has now evolved into another important purchasing determinant with social and fashion attributes.
CASETiFY first became popular on major social media platforms by selling mobile phone cases made from Instagram photos. This was the main focus of the company and what contributed to its initial and immediate success. Since then, the company has shifted its focus to selling a variety of tech accessories while still retaining some of its customization services. It also cooperated with many brands, artists, and designers, including Kylie Jenner, Dua Lipa, and BlackPink. Even though a single CASETiFY mobile phone case can cost between $40 and $90 USD, the company sells more than 3 million phone cases annually, and its sales and profit are still increasing per year. How did CASETiFY make it? This article will look at the reasons why CASETiFY can stand out.
CASETiFY, which was founded in 2011, is now one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing tech accessory brands. CEO Peishen Wu co-founded the company in Hong Kong with his friend Ziye Yang. Peishen has found that most phone cases on the market were “boring” since iPhone 3G was released. He has never purchased a phone case that he is happy with. He decided to launch his own brand. CASETiFY initially focused on “personalized” customization, turning users’ Instagram photos into phone cases, which became pretty popular on social media.
As the company kept growing, CASETiFY gradually started a variety of tech accessories but retained some of its customized services. In addition, CASETiFY also launched products that come from collaboration with brands, TV shows, movies, and celebrities to expand its brand influence.
In order to strengthen the brand image and prevent fakes from entering the market, CASETiFY has been focusing on the Direct-to-customer (DTC) strategy, and the main sales channel is through the independent online store. Product sales cover more than 180 countries and regions around the world, with the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea being the current primary markets. Some of CASETiFY’s sales also come from third-party platforms, with key partners including Amazon, AT&T, Lane Crawford, Nordstrom, Revolve.com, Shopbop.com, Anthropologie, and more.
Since the brand’s launch, online sales have accounted for the majority of revenue. The first offline retailer, “CASETiFY Museum,” debuted in Hong Kong in 2020. Although there are now 7 offline businesses, online sales still account for 80% of total sales.
(CASETiFY Hong Kong offline physical store; Image source: CASETiFY)At the beginning of the launch of CASETiFY products, the main products were iPhone cases. Later on, the product line gradually diversified as well. It then successively launched Airpods, iPad, Macbook, and other electronic product protective cases, including Apple Watch straps and protective cases, two-in-one mobile phone brackets, lanyards, wireless charging discs, and other electronic accessories. Initially concentrating just on iPhone, it gradually extended to include
other Android series phone cases like Samsung. Since its establishment, CASETiFY has launched more than 300,000 SKUs.
(Image source: CASETiFY official website)CASETiFY’s main selling feature is customization, in which consumers can design their own phone cases with unique images or letters. That’s why CASETiFY became such an instant sensation on Instagram. iPhone users are everywhere, but does everyone want to use the same phone case? CASETiFY sells not just phone cases, but a unique way of expressing yourself.
Besides original design, product material and quality are also important selling points of CASETiFY. The higher price of CASETiFY products compared to the market is mostly due to investment in material and R&D expenses. To ensure the quality of the phone case, every new product must go through hundreds of drop tests. The phone case product is made of qìtech, a material with its own patent and won’t break even if dropped from a height of 3 meters.
In addition, CASETiFY also launched a series of eco-friendly materials such as recycled plastic and bamboo fiber. High product quality and strong materials are also important reasons why CASETiFY still receives thousands of orders every day when the unit price is high.
One in seven customers that purchase CASETiFY is millennials. To further enhance its brand image among young people, CASETiFY has been launching co-branded products in collaboration with dozens of well-known brands, singers, and artists over the past few years, including Pharrell, BTS, BlackPink, Olivia Rodrigo, as well as NBA, Disney, Pokemon, and other well-known IPs and brands.
Several co-branded product series come with signature or exclusive designs, making them more attractive. Recently, CASETiFY launched a series of products related to the fourth season of Stranger Things, the world’s most popular sci-fi American TV series.
(Stranger Things x CASETiFY; Image Credit: CASETiFY)CASETiFY’s popularity initially stemmed from its ability to provide personalized phone case services to Instagram users, but it took a long time before KOL started to generate order conversions for the brand in the early stages. CASETiFY did not gain popularity until it was shared on Instagram by celebrities such as football king Messi, social queen Kylie Jenner, and Jennie from the Korean girl group BlackPink.
(Image credit: Instagram)CASETiFY’s product design has always been on the cutting edge of fashion, constantly absorbing market data and current trends. The principal target customers are millennials and young generation Z, who are currently the most active groups on the Internet and key social media platforms. CASETiFY places a high value on worldwide KOL marketing to boost product visibility and awareness. TikTok and Instagram are the social media marketing battlefield, with over 3 million followers in total. Furthermore, CASETiFY asked many KOLs to release the CASETiFY phone case “drop test” video and advertise based on customer behavior, grabbing the attention of potential prospects.
(Image credit: Karli Reese YouTube Channel)CASETiFY officials also strongly encourage users and KOLs to post their own personalized phone cases on social platforms. Their official website has a channel for KOL, which has attracted a large number of KOLs signing up to cooperate with them.
Here are how Instagram Influencers can collaborate with them:
(Image source: CASETiFY official website)· Learn about CASETiFY
· Feel free to create posts about using CASETiFY products on your own social media platforms
· Share product link 🔗 Follower discount code
· Tag your post with CASETiFY
· Share ideas and feedback
With the traffic from co-lab products and other partnerships, many social media users took the initiative to share their unique CASETiFY phone cases in their posts, which also brought a lot of organic traffic for CASETiFY.
(Image credit: Instagram)People use the same type of mobile phone everywhere, but how can you express yourself? CASETiFY seizes this pain point and focuses on product design, material research, and customized services to meet customers’ needs.
CASETiFY could have continued as a DTC brand selling phone cases, but they wanted to do more, and they made it. By investing a lot in brand cooperation and KOL promotion, it has successfully won the millennial market and become a successful global leader in tech accessories brands. For many companies, expanding rapidly and entering multiple areas is a risky move, but if done well, it will win big, just like CASETiFY.
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