Robotic Lawn Mower Market

Market Overview

The global robotic lawn mower market size was valued at USD 2.21 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 6.10 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 11.95% during the forecast period (2023–2031). Market expansion is anticipated on the back of rising demand for robotic lawnmowers from landscaping service providers throughout the forecast period. Nations like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and South Africa are generating the highest demand in the region. 

A robotic lawn mower refers to an autonomous machine employed for the purpose of trimming grass on lawns. A standard robotic lawn mower requires the user to place a perimeter wire around the lawn to mark the mowing area. The robot utilizes this wire to locate the area's perimeter and, in some cases, a charging station. Robotic mowers can maintain up to 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) of vegetation.

Robotic lawnmowers are becoming more advanced; some have self-docking capabilities, and some, if necessary, have rain sensors, all of which almost eliminate human contact. Newer robotic lawnmowers may be equipped with sophisticated sensors that enable them to autonomously mow around obstructions or even turn off when it starts to rain. Robotic lawnmowers reduce the need for human involvement, allowing users to operate with maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

Market Dynamics

Robotic Lawn Mower Market Drivers

Growing Demand from Golf Courses

In 2020, more than 38,000 golf courses were spread over 205 countries worldwide. Participation in golf has increased significantly year-over-year and is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Following the global pandemic in 2020, there was a significant surge in golf participation. In 2020, the number of golfers across the US reached around 25 million, witnessing a growth of nearly 500,000 and an increase of around 2% compared to 2019. The surging number of public golf clubs is further motivating the participation of individuals in the sport. Thus, the growing participation is boosting the construction of new golf courses, thereby driving the demand for robotic lawnmowers.

There are currently around 500 golf course projects in various stages of development, with a significant concentration in North America, Asia, and the Middle East, followed by Europe. Hence, expanding golf courses is expected to drive the demand for robotic lawnmowers further.

Healthy Growth of the Landscaping Industry

The popularity of landscaping services is increasing worldwide due to the need to provide an aesthetic appeal to residential and commercial lawns and gardens. This has led to the landscaping of outdoor yards and spaces gaining significant momentum worldwide. In the global outdoor landscaping market, the construction of decorative structures, ponds, patios, and winding green paths is gathering traction.

The demand for landscaping services is significantly higher in the commercial segment due to the large size of lawns and landscapes. Corporate entities extensively utilize landscaping services as a crucial component of their property management strategies. Also, the bigger budgets of commercial properties compared to residential units boost the demand for these services. The demand for robotic lawnmowers is expected to grow significantly among landscaping service providers during the forecast period, thereby driving robotic lawnmower market growth.

Robotic Lawn Mower Market Restraint

Increased Competition from Chinese Vendors

The high cost of robotic lawn mowers is a major challenge for adopting the product in the market, especially in developing nations. In addition, developing new models with sophisticated features and functionality increases the product's price. There is less product penetration in emerging markets like China, where the population has a lower disposable income.

Additionally, residential end-users, the potential target market for robotic lawnmowers, are highly price-sensitive, with affordability being their key purchasing criterion. Hence, the abovementioned factors provide opportunities for Chinese vendors that offer low-cost alternatives to tap the market potential, thereby restricting market growth.

Robotic Lawn Mower Market Opportunities

Adoption of Technologies (AI, Sensors, GPS)

In recent years, rapid technological advancements have resulted in the development of new technologies for lawn care devices. The incorporation of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and machine learning into mowing equipment enables the maximization of output with minimal effort. The intelligent autonomous lawnmower is equipped with a GPS, allowing it to move autonomously throughout the facility.

The equipment also utilizes smart technology for mapping the facilities, with enhanced computing power in a small footprint controlled by a smartphone in conjunction with low-cost optics and sensors. The robotic lawnmowers are built with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular circuitry, allowing users to operate the mowers remotely through smartphones. Hence, integrating equipment with smartphones allows users to easily locate the equipment through smart devices. Thus, incorporating such technology with the equipment is expected to generate opportunities for market growth during the forecast period.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global robotic lawn mower market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Europe Dominates the Global Market

Europe is the most significant global robotic lawn mower market shareholder and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 11.95% during the forecast period. The predominant share of this region is attributed to the wide adoption of robotic equipment across several industries, such as hospitality, education, and others, due to the high labor costs. The growing commercial spaces, business investments, and surging government spending on infrastructure are also expected to boost the demand for the product in the region in the coming years. In addition, western Europe is a mature gardening market. As a result, growth opportunities are likely to be sluggish in the region. However, Eastern Europe offers significant growth potential.

Gardening, sustainability, and ethical living are also increasingly gaining momentum in Poland, which is expected to support market growth. Moreover, Europe has many sports arenas with natural turf that hosts several yearly tournaments. Hence, many stadiums and sports grounds generate the need for continuous maintenance, thereby driving the need for robotic lawnmowers.

North America is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 12.27% over the forecast period. The labor cost across North America is rising continuously, prompting several end-users to move to technology that could help minimize labor expenditure and increase productivity. Moreover, it will also help organizations utilize the labor for other value-added tasks and focus on activities likely to enhance their revenue. Hence, the high labor cost will likely boost the regional demand for autonomous mowers. In addition, the population in this region is early adopters of any latest technology introduced in the market. The continuous innovation and development in machine learning, the Internet of Things, and other technologies is leading to higher penetration of technically advanced products in the market. Hence, this is likely to positively contribute to market growth during the forecast period.

In Asia-Pacific countries, rapid economic development has increased commercial and residential building project development, impeding the construction industry. Likewise, there is a rise in the development of theme parks in China. Chinese and US companies have contracted to build the Universal Studios theme park in Beijing. For instance, Six Flags, a real estate developer in China, announced it to build and operate several parks in China over the next decade. The Shanghai Disney resort opened in June 2016 with a Downtown Disney shopping center and two hotels. Such development of theme parks will further drive the demand for landscaping services in the country, thereby indirectly increasing the demand for robotic lawnmowers in the region.

In Latin America, the sluggish growth is attributed to the economic downturn in several nations and tough competition from other developed nations. However, the region is predicted to grow substantially during the forecast period because of rapid industrialization, substantial penetration of travel and tourism activities, and gradually increasing awareness about the benefits of green cover and natural landscapes. Several developing economies in the market, including Brazil and Mexico, offer tremendous growth potential to robotic lawn mower vendors.

The Middle East and Africa is the lowest contributors to the global robotic lawnmowers market. Even though the Middle East has a well-established hospitality industry, the prevalence of several poor nations in the African region reduces the demand for robotic lawnmowers. The presence of some of the world's largest luxury hotels in the region is driving market demand for autonomous lawnmowers. However, a lack of affordability in the region's low-income nations is anticipated to impede market expansion over the forecast period.

Segmental Analysis

The global robotic lawn mower market is segmented by lawn area, technology, end-user, and distribution channel.

Based on the lawn area, the global market is segmented into small-sized, medium-sized, and large-sized segments. 

The small-sized segment owns the highest robotic lawn mower market share and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 10.91% during the forecast period. Small-sized robotic lawnmowers can be used for a lawn area of less than 3,000 square meters (32,300 square feet). These lawnmowers' area capacity per hour is significantly lesser than that of the medium- and large-sized versions. Due to the prevalence of small-sized lawns and green acreage in numerous European and North American nations, this segment's high market share can be attributed to their widespread adoption.

In addition, the demand for robotic lawnmowers for tiny lawns and gardens is high in Europe, as most European lawns and gardens are smaller than those in the United States. For example, the average size of a lawn in the U.S. is approximately one-fifth of an acre, or 8,700 square feet, or 800 square meters. In contrast, the average size in most European countries is approximately 3,650 square feet or 340 square meters.

Based on technology, the global market is divided into smart and non-smart robotic lawn mowers. 

The non-smart robotic lawn mower segment is the most significant contributor to the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 11.31% over the forecast period. The high adoption of non-smart robotic lawn mower products is attributed to their lower cost than their smart counterparts. The demand for these lawnmowers is high in nations such as China and India due to the highly price-sensitive population.

Moreover, the lack of awareness about advanced and smart technologies results in the market's higher adoption of non-smart robotic lawnmowers. The market share of non-smart models of robotic lawnmowers is expected to be eroded owing to the increasing popularity of smart models. Hence, such developments of smart models are likely to hamper the growth of non-smart robotic lawnmowers in the market.

Based on the end-user, the global market is divided into residential, golf courses and other sports arenas, professional landscaping services, and others. 

The residential segment is the largest revenue contributor to the market and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 11.41% over the forecast period. The demand for garden parties and cookouts is rising, increasing the residential market's demand for backyard beautification and landscaping. In addition, as disposable income and the standard of living rise, individuals are investing more in lawn maintenance. Such factors support the demand for robotic lawnmowers in the residential segment.

Additionally, the rising global population and shrinking size of households are driving the demand for housing facilities. The governments of several nations are putting laws in place to encourage the construction of residential units to fulfill the growing demand. The global residential construction output grew by 3.5% in 2018 and 3% in 2019. Hence, the rising urbanization is leading to the expansion of residential units, thereby increasing demand for robotic lawnmowers.

Based on distribution channels, the global market is bifurcated into offline and online channels. 

The offline segment dominates the global market and is projected to grow by a CAGR of 11.53% over the forecast period. The offline distribution channel is anticipated to dominate the market and grow considerably over the forecast period, as customers prefer to understand the product's features and applications before purchasing. Moreover, because robotic lawnmowers are expensive, the offline channel is favored to reduce the risk of obtaining damaged products. The entry of traditional garden equipment manufacturers into the robotic lawn mower market has increased sales through retail stores like specialty stores and supermarkets worldwide. Though the trend of selling these devices online is increasing, a significant share of robotic lawn mower distribution occurs through specialty stores.

Recent Developments

• August 2023- Kress, a leading European manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, introduced a new line of robotic lawnmowers equipped with the most innovative positioning technology available on the market. The new line of Kress Mission RTKn robotic mowers is designed for householders and prosumers seeking solutions to maintain expansive or meticulously manicured lawns with maximum efficiency and minimal manual labor.
• August 2023- Hookii introduced the Neomow X autonomous lawn mower. The new model succeeds the Neomow S, which was introduced in April of this year. The Neomow X employs LiDAR SLAM Navigation to mow your lawn without a perimeter wire efficiently.