According to the Zhito Finance APP, IDC's "Global Smart Home Devices Market Quarterly Tracking Report, Q3 2024" shows that in the third quarter, global smart vacuum robot shipments reached 5.014 million units, a year-on-year increase of 11.1%. In the domestic market, the trade-in subsidy policy that began at the end of September boosted shipments to 1.321 million units, a year-on-year increase of 17%. Most provinces provided about 20% subsidy, significantly stimulating the shipments of high-end models, a trend that continued into this year's Singles' Day Sales. The share of sales from Chinese manufacturers' overseas markets continues to rise, and the competition for high-end versatile models in the European and American markets remains intense.

From the perspective of global manufacturer competition, in the third quarter, thanks to multiple new product launches, Beijing Roborock Technology's market share increased to 16.4%, ranking first globally for two consecutive quarters. Although shipments in its stronghold of Western Europe declined year-on-year, there was significant growth in the North American and Asia-Pacific markets, especially achieving key breakthroughs on e-commerce platforms in the USA; iRobot's market share continued to decline quarter-on-quarter, yet it remains the number one in shipment volume in the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan; Ecovacs Robotics conducted a certain level of promotions for old products in the third quarter, but the strategy of exchanging price for volume did not work effectively, with a year-on-year decline of 2.5% in global market share. As competitors expanded their offline channels, the mid-range market was significantly impacted; Xiaomi's global share slightly increased, focusing on product upgrades in the mid-range market in Europe; the shipment volume from Dreametech increased by 39.7% year-on-year, making it the fastest-growing among the Top 5 manufacturers, especially performing well in the high-end market with multiple models excelling in Western Europe, Japan, and the USA.

In the domestic market, since the beginning of 2024, the pace of new product launches has accelerated, with wide-ranging and substantial state subsidies. The combination of major promotions and state subsidies has continuously improved the concentration of leading brands this year. Thanks to significant price reductions, the demand for high-end products has been released, which has impacted the demand for mid to low-end vacuum robot products.

In terms of competition among manufacturers, in the third quarter, Yunji's market share in the domestic market rose rapidly year-on-year due to the good performance of the J4 series and the launch of the J5 series, entering the top three for the first time. Over the past year, Ecovacs Robotics has seen a year-on-year decline in domestic market share, quickly being eaten away by other leading competitors in the face of fierce market competition. Beijing Roborock Technology has continuously increased its investment in R&D and sales, and the autumn new product P20 pro series performed impressively in September, helping it to rank number one in both domestic and global markets in the third quarter.

At the same time, the subsidy policies for the last four months of 2024 have to some extent overdrawn the long-term demand of the cleaning appliance market, creating significant pressure on manufacturers' pricing strategies and continuous upgrades for the vacuum robot market in 2025.

According to IDC China Senior Analyst Zhao Siquan, the vacuum robot market will continue its growth momentum in 2024, and manufacturers' competition has shifted from product internal struggles to channels and marketing. Against the backdrop of product homogeneity, manufacturers have collectively shortened iteration cycles and frequently released new products, which puts higher demands on companies' R&D capabilities, inventory management, and so on. Currently, the Global vacuum robot market still has room for increased penetration. Leading manufacturers will continue to face competition from new giants entering the market. Additionally, beyond product sales, after-sales service, response time for automatic water installation, and replacement of accessories will also be more considered by consumers. In the future, with the development of AI algorithms, vacuum robots will not only free hands but also meet users' emotional needs at home through personalized designs such as pet obstacle avoidance, intelligent recognition, and voice assistants.