Hisense was already the number-one TV maker in China
when the brand first launched in the USA back in 2009. The company had actually
set up an American operation eight years prior, working as an OEM (Original
Equipment Manufacturer) for other brands while studying the US market and
learning valuable information about the habits and priorities of the American
consumer. The brand’s initial TV offerings were all about high value, and the
company had great success moving large volumes of product through stores like Walmart, Costco, and Sam’s Club. As Hisense gained more brand recognition and
earned the respect of American consumers (and tech reviewers), the company was
able to move more upmarket, building more advanced TVs with higher performance
and commensurately higher prices. This is the same trajectory that we’ve seen
from brands like Vizio and TCL — also relative newcomers…