Robotic vacuum cleaner market in India grows 24% in H1'22, report

The adoption of robotic vacuum cleaners continues to grow in India even after the return to normal. The market for robotic vacuum cleaners grew by 24% year-on-year (YoY) in terms of shipments during the first six months of 2022, said market researcher Counterpoint in its latest report, published on Thursday. Analysts at Counterpoint attributed the growth to growing product awareness among consumers and growing demand from hybrid workers. Counterpoint didn’t disclose the exact number of units shipped. 

Though robotic vacuum cleaners can cost close to ₹1 lakh, Counterpoint report shows that devices in the ₹16,000- 24,000 price band were most popular, followed by those in the ₹10,000-₹16,000 price band. 

“The market which gained momentum due to the Covid-19 pandemic is also finding itself relevant in current times. People are returning to offices and realising that robot vacuum cleaners are among the best options available to help them with their household cleaning,” said Varun Gupta, research analyst at Counterpoint. 

In terms of market share, Xioami was the leading brand accounting for 30% of shipments at a 45% YoY growth rate. Mop-P was the most shipped robotic vacuum cleaner by Xiaomi. 

Eureka Forbes, which was one of the first brands to launch robotic vacuum cleaners in India, shipped the second-highest number of units. It accounted for 22% market share and grew at 40% YoY. 

iRobot, which was acquired by Amazon last month, has slipped to the fourth position with an 8% market share as its shipments fell 38% YoY.  ILIFE has moved to the third spot with 10% of the market. Eufy and Milgrao with 8% and 6% market share, respectively, were the other remaining brands in the top five during H1 2022, according to the report. 

The top three brands accounted for 62% of the market in H1 2022. According to Counterpoint, most people are still buying these devices online, however, many customers now want to experience the product, pushing brands such as Xiaomi to stock them in their offline stores too. 

The report shows that Realme, which entered the robot vacuum market in late H2 2021, is among the fastest-growing brands along with another brand called Viomi. 

“H1 2022 saw many device launches from several existing brands such as eufy, iRobot, and Creative Newtech, and new entrants such as Haier. We expect the space to become more competitive in the coming months with more launches and new entrants due to the rising consumer interest,” said Gupta. 

The entry of new players is expected to drive further growth in this segment.  Anshika Jain,  senior research analyst at Counterpoint forecasted that the robot vacuum cleaner market will grow over 25% in 2022 due to the entry of more players.