Why do Southeast Asian middle-class consumers prefer Chinese floor sweepers?
Ten years ago, most of the floor-cleaning robots in Southeast Asian home appliance stores were labeled with European and American brands like iRobot, and Chinese brands were rarely seen.
Now, the situation on the shelves has completely changed.
The market research institution GfK recently disclosed a set of data: Domestic floor-cleaning robot brands have captured more than 80% of the Southeast Asian floor-cleaning robot market.
In other words, eight out of every ten Southeast Asian families planning to buy a floor-cleaning robot will ultimately choose a Chinese brand.
Roborock, Dreame, Xiaomi, Ecovacs... These Chinese companies have made a name for themselves in Southeast Asia. Behind this is not luck, but a well - planned conquest.
So, how exactly did they achieve this?
Why has Southeast Asia become fertile ground for domestic brands?
The success of a brand often depends on an accurate grasp of the times. The rise of Chinese floor - cleaning robot brands in Southeast Asia is primarily due to their ability to detect the prelude to the market explosion.
The Southeast Asian home appliance consumer market is in a stage of transformation and upgrading from "having" to "having better". After basic large home appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and TVs have become popular in Southeast Asian families, improvement - type products like floor - cleaning robots that can significantly enhance the quality of life have begun to enter the public eye.
GfK data shows that in the first seven months of 2025, the retail sales of the Southeast Asian floor - cleaning robot market increased by nearly 40% year - on - year. In the Vietnamese market, which has the greatest potential, the growth rate exceeded 70%, showing extremely strong momentum.
In addition to the market timing, objective environmental factors have also played a crucial role.
Most urban residents in Southeast Asia live in apartments and townhouses, with a moderate living area, and the floors are generally paved with tiles and wooden floors. This relatively regular and obstacle - free home environment is exactly the stage where floor - cleaning robots can best display their automation utility. Compared with the common carpet environment in European and American families, hard and flat floors are also more conducive to the cleaning and navigation of floor - cleaning robots.
More importantly, it fits the local living habits. In Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore, people are used to walking barefoot indoors and need to take off their shoes when entering temples, families, and even some offices and classrooms. This cultural habit makes floor cleaning a real rigid demand rather than an optional improvement - type consumption.
It can be said that one place nurtures one type of product. This adaptability in the environment and demand is an important reason for Chinese brands to choose to deeply cultivate this market.
However, having products and a market is not enough. It also requires the support of a consumer group with purchasing power.
In recent years, the economy of Southeast Asia has developed rapidly. In 2024, the overall economic growth rate of the region reached 4.7%, and the growth rates of countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines exceeded 6%. The continuous economic growth has given rise to a considerable - scale young middle - class.
According to Statistica data, in 2024, the number of middle - class people in the ASEAN region was nearly 400 million, ranking third in the Asia - Pacific region, second only to China and India. In terms of individual countries, the proportion of middle - class families in Thailand (36.3%), the Philippines (31.9%), Indonesia (31.6%), and Malaysia (29.9%) is not only higher than the global average (28.7%) but also exceeds that of traditional consumer powerhouses such as Germany (28.9%) and the United States (22.3%), showing the regional consumption potential. These middle - class groups provide strong support for the consumption of floor - cleaning robots.
More importantly, according to Euromonitor data, the median age of the ASEAN economies in 2024 was only 31.6 years old, significantly lower than that of major developed countries in Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea. These young people have gradually become the main force of consumption, especially in countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam, where they account for a relatively high proportion. The demographic dividend of the young population is accelerating the transformation into consumption momentum.
Euromonitor predicts that by 2030, the local consumption scale in ASEAN is expected to reach 2.9 - 3.9 trillion US dollars, with an average annual growth rate between 4.7% - 10%.
It is worth noting that when Chinese floor - cleaning robot brands entered this booming consumer market, they did not start from scratch to educate users. A group of Chinese technology companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and DJI took the lead and had already established a cognitive foundation for Chinese brands in the minds of Southeast Asian consumers through products such as mobile phones and drones.
This cognition has provided assistance for the subsequent smooth entry of Chinese floor - cleaning robot brands and reduced the market education cost.
The rapid growth of the market is often accompanied by the reshaping of the competitive landscape. Gfk pointed out that in the key Vietnamese market, the top four Chinese floor - cleaning robot brands jointly occupy more than 90% of the market share. Eight years ago, when Ecovacs first entered the Vietnamese market, its main competitor was still the American brand iRobot. Now, a person in charge of Ecovacs told Yicai that Ecovacs occupies more than 40% of the market share in Vietnam.
Looking globally, IDC data shows that in the first half of 2025, iRobot's share in the global floor - cleaning robot market has been squeezed to fifth place by Chinese brands. This change is quite symbolic, marking the transformation of the global floor - cleaning robot market pattern.
The entry of Chinese floor - cleaning robot brands into Southeast Asia is inseparable from three major factors: market demand, environmental adaptability, and consumption foundation. However, discovering a gold mine does not mean being able to mine gold. Facing former giants and domestic peers, what exactly did they rely on to capture 80% of the market?
The "triple weapons" of domestic floor - cleaning robots
The competition for market share has always been a tough battle. Chinese brands were able to stand out in the melee in Southeast Asia not by a single advantage but by a set of combined strategies centered around user needs.
First of all, in the initial stage of market entry, Chinese brands relied on price advantages.
The most typical opponent was the former global floor - cleaning robot hegemon, iRobot. The price of its Roomba series in Southeast Asia was generally above $500, with a relatively high brand premium. In contrast, the mid - to high - end models of Roborock and Ecovacs with similar functions were priced in the range of $300 - $450, creating a price gap.
At that time, the Southeast Asian market presented an embarrassing situation of a "high - low gap": on one hand, there were traditional European and American players like iRobot, which had brand appeal but high prices, discouraging ordinary families; on the other hand, there were local brands, which might have affordable prices but lacked core technology and provided a poor product experience. Chinese brands spotted and filled this market gap.
However, price advantages can only open the market door. To truly win users, it is necessary to meet their special needs. Chinese brands carried out localized innovation, which was the key for them to gain a foothold.
iRobot has long focused on the floor - sweeping function and made slow progress in the mopping module. Due to the habit of entering the house barefoot, Southeast Asian families have a much stronger rigid demand for floor cleaning, especially mopping, than other regions. Chinese brands seized this core pain point, developed and promoted models that can both sweep and mop and automatically wash the mop cloth, precisely meeting the local users' needs.
After having the right products, the key lies in whether users can be effectively reached. The in - depth layout of offline channels is the key for Chinese brands to capture the market and an important aspect that differentiates them from overseas brands.
The Southeast Asian market has a strong offline - oriented nature, and consumers trust more in what they see and touch with their own eyes and hands. GfK data shows that from January to July this year, the retail sales of offline channels for floor - cleaning robots in Southeast Asia accounted for 28% and are still increasing.
"The consumption habit here (Vietnam) is that people prefer to shop near their homes, which can be quickly reached on foot or by car," a person in charge of Ecovacs in Southeast Asia told the media.
Different from the mature e - commerce ecosystem and logistics system in China, Vietnamese consumers still have great trust in physical stores when buying large - scale products, especially home appliances that require service and guidance.
It is reported that many community specialty stores in Vietnam are family - run, usually called "mom - and - pop stores". Manufacturers empower the after - sales capabilities of these small stores through general agents, provide parts and maintenance training, and transform them into brand touchpoints and service stations deeply rooted in local communities.
In response to this market characteristic, Chinese floor - cleaning robot brands have spent a lot of effort on the layout of offline channels in Southeast Asia.
Ecovacs adopted a "single - country, single - agent" model in Vietnam, deeply binding with local powerful agents, and has set up more than 1,000 sales outlets. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, there are dozens of specialty stores of 60 - 70 square meters. Counting shopping mall counters and various sales points, there are two or three hundred.
These small stores deep in the community are not only sales points but also experience centers, teaching classrooms, and after - sales service desks, which can solve users' doubts when using the product for the first time and establish solid brand trust.
According to the above - mentioned person in charge of Ecovacs in Southeast Asia, about 70% of Ecovacs' sales in Vietnam come from offline channels.
Dreame also held a new product launch event in Ho Chi Minh City in July this year to promote the construction of offline experience stores and strengthen the coverage of offline channels.
In contrast, brands like iRobot rely more on traditional home appliance stores and online channels and seem to lack strength and be slow to respond in reaching users in the "last mile".
However, the era of rapid expansion will eventually pass. When the market pattern stabilizes, where should the road lead?
The opportunity lies in high - endization, and the challenge lies in localization
With 80% of the market share in hand, Chinese brands have entered a new stage.
To achieve growth at this time, they cannot rely on past experience but need to find a new balance between the opportunity of high - endization and the challenge of in - depth localization.
The most obvious opportunity is high - endization. This is not only a way to increase profits but also a touchstone for brand value.
GfK data shows that from January to July this year, the average price of the Southeast Asian floor - cleaning robot market increased by 40% year - on - year.
The core driving forces behind this price increase are, firstly, the popularization of "fully intelligent base stations". Functions such as automatic dust collection, automatic mop - cloth washing, and automatic drying... liberate users from the chores of maintaining the machine and solve real pain points. Base - station products with complete functions are gradually replacing low - price independent models, pushing up the average price. Secondly, the local consumption level has increased, and consumers are willing to pay for a better experience.
Under the trend of high - endization, the X11 series launched by Ecovacs in Vietnam is priced at about 5,000 - 6,000 yuan in China, while the initial launch price in Vietnam is 6,000 - 7,000 yuan. Roborock Technology has continuously increased its R & D investment, and its navigation and obstacle - avoidance algorithm has become the technological foundation for supporting the premium.
This is the inevitable path for Chinese brands to move from cost - effectiveness to high - endization.
However, along with the opportunity, there is a deeper - level challenge: localization. This is no longer just about simple product sales but about rooting the enterprise in the Southeast Asian soil.
The primary challenge is the localization of the supply chain.
Transferring the assembly and production processes to Southeast Asia has changed from an option to a necessity. This can not only avoid the tariff risks brought by trade frictions but also shorten the supply chain and respond more quickly to market demand. Roborock Technology has established a contract - manufacturing factory in Vietnam to cope with potential geopolitical risks.
In the future, whoever can build a stable and efficient supply chain in Southeast Asia will gain the initiative in cost control and delivery stability.
More complex and time - consuming than the supply chain is the localization of the organization.
As factories and channels expand overseas, the management radius continues to increase, bringing new challenges. In Southeast Asia, Chinese brands need to learn how to manage local agents, retailers, and service teams; in factories, they must deal with different labor cultures and management systems. This is no longer a matter that can be solved by sending a few sales directors but requires a systematic upgrade in organizational structure, talent cultivation, and process management.
The competition in the floor - cleaning robot market has entered the second half. Whether they can seize the opportunity of high - endization determines how high a brand can fly; whether they can complete the challenge of in - depth localization determines how far a brand can go. This leap from product export to brand rooting is the real ultimate test for Chinese floor - cleaning robot brands.