(Yicai) Sept. 26 -- The leading Chinese robot vacuum cleaner brands have occupied more than 80 percent of the Southeast Asian market, according to a senior manager at global market research firm GfK.

Chinese brands, such as Ecovacs Robotics, Dreame Technology, and Roborock Technology, are now among Southeast Asia's top five robot vacuum cleaner sellers, Yi Zhenrong, global key account senior manager at GfK, told Yicai.

Revenue from retail sales of robot vacuum cleaners in Southeast Asia expanded nearly 40 percent in the first seven months of the year from a year earlier, according to data provided by GfK. Vietnam, the largest Southeast Asian market for sweeping robots, saw an over 70 percent surge.

Vietnam is an important market for Chinese sweeping robot makers, Yi noted, adding that the top four Chinese brands have increased their share of the local market by nearly 20 percentage points to over 90 percent from last year.

The penetration rate of robot vacuums in Vietnam remains below 10 percent, indicating further growth potential, Wen Jianping, founder and president of Indonesian big data analytics firm AVI Data, told Yicai.

Vietnam has a relatively young population that is willing to try new things and has a high acceptance of technological products.

Moreover, as foreign investment in the country increases, the income of the Vietnamese people gradually rises, with factory workers earning an average of CNY3,000 to CNY5,000 (USD425 to USD710) per month.

Chinese robot vacuum cleaners are slightly more expensive in Southeast Asia than in China, but some remain affordable. For example, while Ecovacs' best-selling product in Vietnam is priced at about CNY2,600, the company released a new high-end model costing CNY6,000 to CNY7,000 on Sept. 22.

Sales of robot vacuums in Vietnam are expected to grow about 80 percent to USD10 million this year from last year, an executive in charge of Ecovacs' Southeast Asian business told Yicai on Sept. 23.

Ecovacs has 1,000 sales outlets in Vietnam, of which 200 to 300 are in the capital Ho Chi Minh City. The firm has also expanded in second- and third-tier cities through major retailers, such as Mobile World.

Ecovacs' overseas revenue surged nearly 67 percent in the second quarter of this year from a year earlier. The Chinese, European, and US markets account for 80 percent of the company's total revenue, but Southeast Asia has become a key market for both revenue and profit growth.

Roborock initiated original equipment manufacturing operations in Vietnam in the fourth quarter of last year to enhance its ability to flexibly serve international markets, including Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific.

Editor: Futura Costaglione