36Kr interviews Wang Yang, CEO of Yuanding Intelligence: Capturing over 100,000 pool community stores in Europe and America to seize the industry's lifeline

Author | Lin Qingqing

Editor | Yuan Silai

As floor - sweeping robots venture into the "uncharted territory", beneath the surface, a battle for intelligent hardware centered around 30 million private swimming pools globally is quietly intensifying.

Data from Statista shows that the global pool robot market is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 32.1%. In 2024, the penetration rate exceeded the critical 25% mark, and the market size is expected to reach $13.2 billion by 2028.

This track, originally dominated by industry giants such as Maytronics and Fluidra, has seen the emergence of three types of new forces from China in recent years.

Newcomers represented by Aiper are betting on wireless and intelligent innovation; challengers adopting low - price strategies, represented by Solavto in Shenzhen, are focusing on online market share; white - label merchants hidden in the Amazon ecosystem continue to exchange low prices for sales volume. The three parties are engaged in multi - dimensional competition in terms of technical routes, channel strategies, and business models, jointly accelerating the reshuffle of the industry.

The entire industry is also gradually becoming more concentrated. In April this year, Aiper announced a strategic cooperation with Fluidra, the world's largest pool equipment supplier, and completed nearly 1 billion yuan in financing.

However, the entire market is undergoing a structural transformation. The most obvious sign is that the online channel is showing signs of fatigue. Amazon's Q1 2024 financial report shows that its total revenue increased by 13% year - on - year, but the growth rate of e - commerce retail remained sluggish (only 7%). Meanwhile, according to data from the Maitian Venture Capital Industry Research Institute, the professional pool channel, which occupies 60% of the global high - end market share (covering more than 100,000 community specialty stores in Europe and the United States), still has high barriers. The average cooperation payment cycle is as long as 18 months, and only a very small number of brands have been able to enter this channel before, with Chinese brands accounting for less than 5%.

After achieving initial volume growth through online channels, pool robots will ultimately return to offline channels.

"The pattern is set, and the era of channel supremacy has arrived," Wang Yang, the founder of Aiper, told Hard Krypton. "In the next three years, technology will leap from 40 points to 80 points. The competition will focus on the triple barriers of products, technology, and channels, rather than low prices."

Aiper is one of the faster - growing companies in the pool robot field. It has also faced some controversies. For example, in 2023, it voluntarily recalled a batch of products, which once attracted market attention. However, after the storm, it remained unscathed and continued to grow.

According to Google brand search volume statistics, Aiper's share in Australia rose from 26% in January 2024 to 59% in December, while Dolphin's share dropped from 62% to 33% during the same period. Recently, the underwater wireless communication technology carried by its third - generation Scuba X series products passed the IEEE certification, making Aiper one of the few Chinese companies to break through the patent wall of traditional giants.

Currently, the penetration rate of the pool robot track is approaching 30%. At this inflection point, the industry may shift from "growth - first" to "efficiency - first". Can Chinese brands find a new path between century - old channel barriers and long - term technology investment? When the capital boom subsides, what is the real backbone to support the multi - billion - dollar market? With these questions, Hard Krypton had an in - depth conversation with Wang Yang, the CEO of Aiper.

The following is the transcript of the interview, edited and organized by Hard Krypton:

The Market Pattern Is Set

Hard Krypton: What's your view on the current competitive landscape of the pool robot industry? Especially within the technology - oriented camp, are there any differences in the technical routes and business strategies?

Wang Yang: I think the current competitive landscape is already set. The low - price players (from Shenzhen), high - price players (traditional giants), and those with stable channels (old players) are all on the table, and it's difficult for new variables to emerge. The product iteration path is also clear, and it's unlikely that there will be opportunities for generational differences like when we pioneered the wireless category. Technology - oriented players are all betting on wireless and intelligent development, which is a consensus. However, there are differences in specific paths and depths.

For example, underwater communication, which is the key to remote control, has been mass - produced in our third generation. Some peers have tried it but may have cancelled the function due to technical difficulties or costs. Another example is the AI cleaning algorithm, which requires a large amount of real underwater data for training and long - term investment from a professional team. We have an AI team of more than 40 people, and we have been collecting and calibrating data in Sanya, Australia, and even Europe and the United States for a long time. This is not something that can be caught up with in the short term. Among technology - oriented players, the competition lies in the iteration speed, in - depth understanding of user needs, and comprehensive capabilities (funding, supply chain, and channels). Relying solely on low prices or a single technical point is difficult to form a lasting barrier.

Hard Krypton: What specific impacts have the low - price strategies of many white - label products brought to the industry ecosystem? How do you deal with such impacts?

Wang Yang: The impacts are two - sided. In the short term, they quickly seize online market share with ultra - low prices, especially on Amazon, which intensifies the involution and lowers some consumers' expectations of product value.

But in the long run, this unsustainable model is fading out. We've seen products from some Shenzhen brands being removed from mainstream channels. We will never respond by lowering prices. Our gross profit comes from self - developed advantages and scale: we design all our sensors and motors independently and continue to develop and reuse technologies on a platform basis.

High - end is not just about the price tag; it's about making users feel that it's worth it. Low price is not the core competitiveness; low cost is. By optimizing the cost structure (such as large - scale production in our Vietnam factory and platform - based development), we can maintain or even improve product performance while keeping a competitive price. The average selling price (ASP) of our new products has almost doubled compared to the previous generation, and users still buy them. Channel partners also value brands that are stable, reliable, and provide services more.

The pattern of the pool robot industry is set, and the core logic is channel supremacy. In the next three years, technology will leap from 40 points to 80 points. It depends on who can cross this stage faster and more steadily. The competition will also focus on the triple barriers of products, technology, and channels, rather than low prices.

Hard Krypton: What are the technical difficulties in underwater AI cleaning?

Wang Yang: There are mainly two major challenges. First, the types of garbage in swimming pools and the colors and materials of swimming pools are complex and diverse. For example, there are hundreds of types of leaves, and there are various patterns on pool surfaces. It's very difficult to accurately identify garbage among complex patterns, and a large amount of data needs to be accumulated and collected to ensure the accuracy of identification. Second is the dynamic tracking of water flow. The "full - sweep" mode of traditional floor - sweeping robots has an efficiency of only 30%. AI should be like a snake chasing dirty spots, following the floating leaves wherever they go.

Hard Krypton: Did the recall event expose battery technology defects? Was it an over - reaction to recall 22,000 units?

Wang Yang: As an innovative product, pool cleaning robots face many challenges in the early - stage supply chain and R & D. Due to the special environment of swimming pools, this batch of products was easily affected by water mist and direct sunlight. Although the failure rate was only 0.049%, we still chose to recall all of them, even replacing the machines for users who bought them two years ago. We attach great importance to multi - scenario simulation testing and quality management of products. The third - generation products have adopted a potting process to completely solve this problem, and the batteries have passed the highest - standard tests for electronic products by Huawei.

The swimming pool is an extreme environment with high temperature and pressure. In the early stage, the sealing ring of the charger might let in water mist under direct sunlight, with a probability lower than that of an air crash, but we chose to "be over - cautious".

Channel Supremacy

Hard Krypton: What channels have you developed?

Wang Yang: Since 2019, we've been focusing on global channel infrastructure: connecting our IT system directly to Walmart's inventory (shipping on the day of order placement) and setting up our own overseas warehouse in Europe to handle after - sales. But the most important thing is to understand that after the online traffic dividend fades, whoever controls the offline trust nodes holds the lifeline of the industry. Walmart shelves are for "pass - by consumption"; users just compare parameters and prices and then leave. Community pool specialty stores, on the other hand, are "lifetime service entrances". When users are used to giving their house keys to the clerk to let them directly enter the backyard to repair the pool, you've won. This kind of trust is like a pet - owning family always choosing a familiar pet store, even if it's 30% more expensive.

Hard Krypton: Why is the pool specialty store channel so important?

Wang Yang: To succeed in the pool robot industry, first, the product must be strong enough, but that's not enough. Strong channel capabilities are also needed, and it's necessary to penetrate into the real channels of the pool industry. I think Chinese brands have relatively strong brand power, but the next opportunity lies in how to enter these pool specialty stores to promote the brand.

This industry is essentially a "trust - based business". It's like fish - keeping enthusiasts don't buy fishing rods from street stalls but look for professional fishing tackle stores because the store owner understands the water depth and can teach you how to prepare bait. The same goes for pool specialty stores, as they can provide water quality testing, chemical dosing, equipment maintenance, and even call users by their names. This kind of trust relationship has been built up over generations. The European and American markets have their channels monopolized by giants like Fluidra and Pentair, and it's almost impossible for Chinese companies to enter. Through this cooperation, we've really "got on the table"; for example, we've entered more than 1,000 specialty stores in France.

Hard Krypton: Will there be conflicts between the pool specialty store channel and KA channels like Walmart after the cooperation with Fluidra? How do you balance them?

Wang Yang: There will definitely be no "conflicts". We have a strict "product - differentiation" strategy internally - pool specialty stores sell high - end models priced over a thousand dollars (such as the Scuba X1 Pro Max with underwater communication), and users are not just buying hardware but also lifetime water quality management services; Walmart focuses on cost - effective models priced between $500 - $800 to meet the immediate needs of families.

Why did Fluidra choose to cooperate with Aiper? After inspecting all Chinese manufacturers, they found that only Aiper could achieve two things simultaneously: fully disclose our technical details (their engineers can disassemble the products for research at will) and customize the supply chain for each channel (the motors for Walmart's products and those for specialty stores are not from the same batch).

Made - in - China products won in the "traffic - shelf" era in the past decade. In the next decade, we must capture the "trust - shelf" era.

Hard Krypton: How do you replicate this model in the European market?

Wang Yang: In Europe, it's all about "personal networks". They initially trust the relationship chains recommended by people they know.

Hard Krypton: What's the growth potential of markets outside the United States, such as Europe and Australia? How do the channel strategies in these markets differ from those in the United States?

Wang Yang: The potential is huge! Focusing only on the US market now poses high risks (tariffs and market saturation). Europe, Australia, Brazil, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are all important growth points. However, the rules of the game in these markets are very different from those in the United States.

The United States is a unified market. Once you secure mainstream channels like Walmart and Home Depot, you can distribute products across the country from the central warehouse. Europe is a collection of multiple countries, languages, and cultures, and you must find strong local agents. They are responsible for warehousing, distribution to each store, and after - sales service. This places extremely high requirements on the team's localization ability, IT system, and service system.

We're close to being the number one in the Australian market (note: our Google search share increased from 26% at the beginning of the year to 59% at the end of the year). Users in Australia and Europe are more "meticulous" than Americans and have higher requirements for product details and services. The strong online presence in the United States (Amazon) has, to some extent, "weakened" entrepreneurs' channel - building abilities.

The online market in Europe and Australia is not as dominant, and a solid offline channel and service network are more needed, which is exactly our advantage from early - stage layout. Building these areas, especially offline channels, requires time and patience and can't be achieved quickly just by having money. Our offline sales now account for nearly the same proportion as online sales and are growing rapidly. The ability to form a global channel closed - loop is the next moat.

Hard Krypton: How's the progress of the production capacity layout in Vietnam under the pressure of tariffs?

Wang Yang: We built a factory in Vietnam three years ago and set up dedicated production lines with BYD and Sunwoda. Now, the annual production capacity in Vietnam is over 1 million units. Coupled with our domestic production capacity of 2 million units, the total annual production capacity exceeds 3 million units. To meet the US rules of origin, we hired KPMG to monitor the localization rate. Although the logistics cost has increased, large - scale production has offset the fluctuations. This year, 60% - 70% of our products for the US market have arrived at the port in advance. Even with a 10% price increase for mainstream products, the sales volume remains stable.