The global market for robotic lawn mowers is set to grow exponentially over the next five years, with predictions on the size of the market ranging from $2 billion to $4.6 billion by 2021. The popularity of robotic lawn mowers stems from the time savings that can be achieved by letting the machine do the work, as well as a desire to have the latest consumer electronics. It is estimated that the average American spends 70 hours per year on lawn care tasks, when that time could be better spent on family events or work.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The company behind the robotic vacuum cleaner, iRobot, are set to enter the robotic lawn mower arena in 2017, having patented the name ‘Terra’ to cover their range of garden equipment. They predict that the robotic lawnmower market will be worth $4.6 billion by 2021, based largely on forecasts for their own product. They certainly have the lion’s share of the indoor domestic robotics market and they have confidence that their brand offering in the outdoor market will contribute to a very large increase in sales.
Beige Market Intelligence predicts that the market will be worth $2 billion by 2021, a more conservative forecast, that is not swayed by a vested interest in the industry. They predict that a compound growth of 4% year on year will easily achieve this growth in the market, driven largely by sales in Europe, where landscaping and commercial grounds maintenance is big business; in 2015, Europe had 60% of the robotic lawnmower market despite only being accountable for 20% of the global lawn mower market overall, which was valued at $38 billion in 2015. Four of the five key players in the robotic lawnmower arena are based in Europe, so perhaps it is no surprise that this is currently the largest market for the product. Bosch, Husqvarna, Global Garden Products and Zuchetti Centro Sistemi are all European companies and very big names in the world of outdoor equipment and lawn care.
The challenges facing the robotic lawn mower market are the price, ease of set up and the rising popularity of artificial grass. In the USA especially, more and more people are opting to replace their lawns with fake turf as the maintenance costs are very low compared to a real lawn, and the products are now so realistic that artificial lawns are almost as comfortable as the real thing. The set up for a robotic mower involves setting a perimeter for the machine to operate inside, and this process can be lengthy and off-putting for people for whom time is precious; although a robotic lawnmower will save time in the long run, the time it takes to set up can turn consumers away from the product. The price is also considerable; you can expect to spend around four times as much on a robotic lawnmower, as you would on a push along petrol mower and not everyone has this disposable income. There are people who would love a robotic mower but are waiting for the price to come down before they purchase.
The continued development and investment in robotic technologies will lead to lower prices, as the equipment is refined and made more accessible for the average consumer. As the price starts to come down, more people will have the option of choosing a robotic lawn mower when they come to replace their old model.
One thing to be aware of when purchasing a robotic lawnmower is to make sure it is insured under your home contents insurance. As it will be outside and unattended for the majority of the time, especially in the summer, it is an attractive target for thieves and some have already been stolen in America while in the middle of mowing. It is unclear whether the robotic lawnmowers can be sold on easily without the perimeter equipment, but that won’t stop an opportunistic thief from having a go.