China’s commercial service robot market reached US$169 million in 2022, down 2.5% year on year, a study by data researcher IDC shows.
According to the report on the market share of Chinese commercial service robots in 2022, the market was dominated by a few leading players.
For instance, Keenon Robotics (擎朗智能), a domestic meal delivery robot startup, and sweeping robot maker Gausium (高仙自动化) accounted for about 50% of the country’s commercial service robot market.
The IDC study points out that these two unicorns each represented 25% of the overall market, with in-restaurant meal delivery and commercial cleaning being the two biggest application scenarios.
In the catering use case, the aggregate market shares of the two biggest players — namely Keenon and Pudu Robotics, a Shenzhen-based rival — climbed to 83.6% in 2022.
Keenon took 60.4% of the market, up from 48.6% in 2021, compared to 23.2% for Pudu.
Pudu’s market share slumped last year following a massive layoff and a subsequent contraction in its business.
“After the 2022 disruption, most robot suppliers have adjusted their organizational structure and business direction to the best possible status, to meet a new period in market development,” said Li Junlan, a research manager at IDC.
She added that with the economic rebound in 2023 and demand recovering from downstream clients, service robots have been expanding into lower-tier markets, new sectors and new scenarios.
With dreary, standardized work now steadily being replaced by robots at restaurants, hotels and other labor-intensive industries, business operators are able to save considerable costs, allowing staff to focus on higher-quality service, says the IDC study.
