Automated helpers continue to conquer German households

Frankfurt am Main, 27/02/2025 – Everyday habits can change quickly – often without us consciously noticing. Smart technology is increasingly taking over everyday tasks: robot vacuum cleaners are a good example of this. Whereas vacuuming used to be done manually and with a cable, intelligent robots are now doing this work in more and more German households – often when the residents are not even at home.

The advantage of robot vacuum cleaners is clear: not only do these autonomous, intelligent robots perform the same monotonous task for us almost stoically and conscientiously; according to our assumption, they also save each household—depending on household size—an average of up to 104 hours per year. That is just under four and a half days—time that can be put to good use elsewhere.

It is therefore to be expected that these advantages are also reflected in revenue and sales figures. Accordingly, the market for robot vacuum cleaners continues to grow. According to NIQ/GfK, around 850,000 more devices were sold in Germany in 2024 – an increase of almost 11 percent compared with the previous year. Revenue is developing particularly dynamically: it rose by just over 25 percent to 507 million euros (2023: 405 million euros).

The revenue figures show that consumers are increasingly opting for more powerful models with intelligent navigation, automatic emptying and high suction power. While the number of units sold is growing moderately, rising demand for these functionalities is driving disproportionate revenue growth. Performance and even greater convenience come at their well-deserved price.

Dr. Sara Warnke, Managing Director of gfu, sees the NIQ/GfK figures as indicating a new standard: “Robot vacuum cleaners now account for one percent of total revenue in the B2C home and consumer tech market. This shows that they are no longer just a technical gimmick. They have become an established part of many households.” The growing acceptance of smart cleaning solutions underscores that the trend toward automation in the home will continue to gain momentum. Not least because it promises greater convenience in everyday life.