Reference News Network, September 22 report - According to the South China Morning Post website on September 20, robot vacuum cleaners were once considered a success story in the United States. Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) drove the development of this small appliance and founded "iRobot" in 1990. Even today, many consumers still use the name of the company's breakthrough product, Roomba, to refer to all robot vacuum cleaners. However, after 30 years, the United States has completely lost control of the market it created. Like many other industries around the world, Chinese companies have become the leaders in the robot vacuum cleaner sector. The process by which they caught up and replaced American competitors largely reflects the current state of the global economy.

According to a report from market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), in the second quarter of 2025, the top five robot vacuum cleaner manufacturers globally were all Chinese companies: Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi, and Nurobot, which together accounted for nearly 70% of the global market share. The U.S. brand iRobot was pushed to sixth place.

The report states that this loss of market share is a significant blow to U.S. companies. IDC data shows that the global smart home cleaning robot market is growing rapidly, with global shipments increasing by 33% year-on-year in the first half of this year, reaching 15.35 million units.

Why is this happening? It's not just about price. On Amazon.com, the prices of Chinese brands and U.S. brands are almost the same. In mid-September this year, the price of iRobot's Roomba Vacuum 2 was only $165, one of the cheapest products on the market.

According to Claire Zhao, a senior analyst at International Data Corporation, the success of Chinese brands lies in their heavy investment in marketing and R&D innovation.

In a report released earlier this month, she wrote: "Chinese companies have achieved remarkable success in overseas markets, rapidly increasing sales and brand awareness through e-commerce. Rapid technological iteration has directly enhanced product competitiveness and customer loyalty."

The report states that Chinese brands are aggressively entering the U.S. and European markets. With an increasing number of market participants, fierce competition has forced companies to develop and launch new products at an unprecedented speed.

R&D investment has become crucial. According to the financial report of Ecovacs Robotics, the company's R&D expenses increased from 549 million yuan in 2021 to 885 million yuan in 2024. Roborock's R&D investment last year reached 971 million yuan, equivalent to 8.1% of its revenue.

According to the report, as leading companies prioritize international expansion, brands are focusing on developing high-quality high-tech products. Recently, at the first Guangdong Excellent Products Exhibition held in Guangzhou, a sales manager of a Guangdong home appliance manufacturer, Janet Su (translated), said: "Chinese companies are competing to launch new products, with cycles as short as a quarter and no longer than six months."

The report states that due to the huge future growth potential of the market, new participants continue to enter. According to data from Tiantong Securities, only about 5% of Chinese households own a robot vacuum cleaner, while this proportion is about 15% in the United States. Drone manufacturer DJI, home appliance giant Midea, and commercial robot company PuTao Technology have also recently launched their own robot vacuum cleaner products.

"Although each company faces great pressure, this market is still a blue ocean," said Janet Su. (Translated by Xu Yanhong)

On April 16, buyers learned about robot vacuum cleaner products at the Canton Fair. (Xinhua News Agency)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552750829074252315/

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