The basic functions of a robotic vacuum cleaner are cleaning, vacuuming, and mopping, and the continuous optimization of these functions has achieved better cleaning results and user experience. While continuously improving cleaning efficiency, as the most intelligent cleaning product, sweeping robots have also gained broader space for the development of intelligent functions in the current trend of household appliances transforming into "smart homes". Let's follow the editor to learn about the current development status and market prospects of the robotic vacuum cleaner industry

In recent years, with the advancement of service robot industry technology and social development, especially under the influence of daily life pressure, the sales of floor cleaning robots in China have grown at an astonishing rate. According to data from Jiefukai Retail Monitoring, the compound annual growth rate of retail sales of robotic vacuum cleaners in China has exceeded 50% in the past five years. As of December 2017, the retail market size of robotic vacuum cleaners in China has reached 3.325 million units, with a retail value of approximately 4.4 billion yuan. Compared to other intelligent cleaning products, the penetration rate of robotic vacuum cleaners in China is still relatively low, with good development potential and market demand. According to Jiefukai's prediction, the market size of robotic vacuum cleaners in China will reach 5.38 billion yuan in 2018, with a retail volume of around 4.35 million units.

Analysis of the reasons for the rapid development of China's robotic vacuum cleaner industry:

01. The speed of technological innovation is fast, and the trend of functional upgrades is significant.

The basic functions of a robotic vacuum cleaner are cleaning, vacuuming, and mopping. Through continuous improvement in the material, structural form, rotation mode of the cleaning brush, as well as the basic functions and technical aspects such as mop material, water supply, and mop layout, robotic vacuum cleaners have achieved better cleaning results and improved user experience. For example, in 2017, the floor mopping function product solved the problems of uneven distribution of moisture and force in wiping the floor by improving the boost control flow technology and implementing a constant pressure floating design for the product. In terms of price segmentation, mid to high end floor cleaning robots are concentrated in the market of floor cleaning robots priced between 1000-2000 yuan. In 2017, the retail sales of floor cleaning robots with floor mopping function accounted for 71.1% of the total retail sales in this price range. The proportion of floor cleaning robots with floor mopping function in this price stage continues to rise, reflecting consumers' demand for fully functional products of floor cleaning robots.

02. Improve cleaning efficiency with high intelligence and transform towards "smart homes".

The level of intelligence of robotic vacuum cleaners is relatively high in the service robot category. In addition to basic functions, newer products are transforming and developing towards "smart homes", greatly improving the intelligent functions of robotic vacuum cleaners. Its intelligent development can be divided into two stages. The first stage is to achieve interconnection and interoperability between robotic vacuum cleaners and intelligent devices. In 2017, the proportion of retail sales of robotic vacuum cleaners with intelligent connectivity capabilities reached 50.4%, an increase of 39% compared to 2015. The second stage is for the robotic vacuum cleaner to receive or observe information from the environment through sensors, achieving autonomous navigation and positioning of the robot's theme, and realizing an intelligent cleaning solution that integrates "positioning composition planning cleaning".

03. Leveraging online traffic to develop offline experiences.

Online sales are the most important sales channel for robotic vacuum cleaners in China. According to retail monitoring data from Jiefukai, the online retail sales of robotic vacuum cleaners accounted for 91% in 2017. For example, Ecovacs, which has the largest market share in China in terms of floor cleaning robots, achieved online transactions of over 500 million yuan during the 2017 Double 11 shopping festival, becoming the sales champion of similar products. The biggest advantage of online markets is that they can bring huge traffic, but understanding product information and experiencing product features through online markets still has limitations. The irreplaceable role of the offline market is to fully showcase products, allowing consumers to intuitively understand their functions and features.

Development history and current situation of Chinese robotic vacuum cleaners

In China, robotic vacuum cleaners emerged around 2010, and their intelligent development can be divided into two stages. The first stage is the intelligent stage of connecting the robotic vacuum cleaner with a mobile phone. Last year, the retail sales of robotic vacuum cleaners with this feature accounted for 50.4%.

The second stage is the stage of receiving and observing environmental information through various sensors. The robotic vacuum cleaner can achieve autonomous navigation and positioning, completing a one-stop intelligent cleaning solution. In this stage, navigation systems have become an important application of robot sensing technology in cleaning products, greatly enhancing the intelligence level of robotic vacuum cleaners. The visual navigation system currently used in high-end models in the market can better lead the development of robotic vacuum cleaners towards AI direction.

Despite the various advantages of robotic vacuum cleaners, their penetration rate in China is still not high. The penetration rate of household floor cleaning robots in the United States is 16%, while the penetration rate of floor cleaning robots in coastal areas of China is only 4% -5%, and the penetration rate of floor cleaning robots in inland areas is only 0.5%. The complementary and alternative roles of robotic vacuum cleaners are washing machines and vacuum cleaners. In Chinese households, the penetration rate of washing machines is nearly 90%, and the penetration rate of household vacuum cleaners has reached 30% -40%.

Compared with the United States, the environment of Chinese households is an important reason for the low penetration rate of robotic vacuum cleaners. The living environment of most European and American families is spacious, making it more convenient to use robotic vacuum cleaners. Relatively speaking, the living area of Chinese households is much smaller, and coupled with the habit of placing furniture and items, the indoor space is not empty. Therefore, the use of robotic vacuum cleaners in Chinese households requires more complex algorithms and path planning.

However, this also indicates from another perspective that there is still a very large market space for robotic vacuum cleaners in China. Since entering the Chinese market, the sales channels for robotic vacuum cleaners have mainly been online. Last year, the online retail sales of robotic vacuum cleaners reached 91%, with the online market accounting for 89% of the total retail sales.

The biggest advantage of online markets is that they can bring huge traffic. However, there are significant limitations to understanding product information and experiencing product features solely through online markets. On the other hand, offline markets can fully showcase products and provide consumers with a more intuitive understanding of product functions and characteristics.

For products such as robotic vacuum cleaners, which are widely used in intelligent technology and have a high degree of intelligence, the offline experience of consumers is more important. By leveraging existing online traffic, we will vigorously develop offline experiences and showcase the high-tech and intelligent functions of robotic vacuum cleaners through physical stores, making it more intuitive for consumers to understand and enabling them to quickly accept. The integration of online and offline markets is an important strategy for sweeping robot manufacturers in channel layout.

Although compared to other cleaning products, the penetration rate of robotic vacuum cleaners in China is still very low, and the robotic vacuum cleaner market still has good development potential. With rapid technological advancements, robotic vacuum cleaners have entered the 3.0 era. The functions of robotic vacuum cleaners will continue to evolve and improve in the future, and the next technological development trend will be the integration of sensing systems, improvement of intelligence, enhancement of network services, as well as multi machine collaboration and self-learning.