Jordan Carter

Manufacturers also diversified their portfolios across price bands and segments.

• Eufy shifted towards more premium models, moving beyond its entry-level positioning, while iRobot expanded its Roomba Essential lineup to strengthen its presence in the entry-level segment.
• Shark launched its most premium model to date, the $999 PowerDetect robotic vacuum and mop, surpassing its previous $799 upper limit.
• Dyson entered new segments with the release of the 360 Vis Nav robotic vacuum and WashG1 floor washer.
• Tineco grew its carpet cleaning portfolio with the Carpet One Cruiser, announced at IFA 2024, emphasizing categories beyond its core floor washer lineup. This move followed Shark’s 2023 entry into the carpet cleaning segment, intensifying competition in a category historically dominated by Bissell and Hoover.

These innovations and portfolio expansions reflect the increasingly competitive nature of the floor care industry, driven by an influx of emerging brands. While the US floor care market has traditionally been led by a handful of well-known manufacturers, the landscape is shifting.

Tineco’s rise began with a strong Amazon presence before its entry into Walmart stores in late 2020, and 2024 saw additional international brands gaining traction. Narwal expanded its reach through major online channels such as Best Buy, Costco, and Target, Dreame entered Target.com, and Roborock secured nationwide representation in Best Buy’s retail locations.

This growing emphasis on US expansion is expected to drive further innovation among established manufacturers as they work to maintain market share and brand presence in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Shark has demonstrated a strong commitment to diversification through its strategic expansion into multiple floor care categories. The brand bolstered its presence in the bare floor washer segment throughout 2024 with models like the MessMaster HydroVac and, most recently, the HydroDuo, released at the end of 2024. The HydroDuo serves as Shark’s direct response to Dyson’s WashG1, which debuted shortly before and marked Dyson’s first entry into the floor washing category. Both models exclude the need for suction to collect dry debris, with Shark positioning the HydroDuo at a significantly lower price point, offering consumers a competitive budget alternative. This release highlights Shark’s focus on expanding its portfolio to address evolving consumer needs and maintaining its competitive edge in the bare floor cleaning market that is led by Bissell and Tineco.

Beyond bare floor cleaning, Shark has made significant strides in the carpet cleaning category with its CarpetXpert series. Introduced in 2023, the CarpetXpert lineup marked Shark’s entry into a category historically dominated by Bissell and Hoover. By offering portable and full-size carpet cleaning solutions, Shark has provided direct competition to established players in both online and brick-and-mortar channels. This has broadened consumer options and intensified competition in a segment that has long been controlled by Bissell and Hoover. Further diversification in the carpet cleaning market came from Tineco, which announced its Carpet One Cruiser at IFA 2024. This marks Tineco’s first new carpet cleaner since the initial Carpet One series debuted in 2022. The Carpet One Cruiser refreshes Tineco’s carpet cleaning capabilities, reflecting the brand’s ongoing commitment to innovation and its intention to challenge established competitors.

These efforts by leading manufacturers underscore the importance of portfolio diversification in the evolving floor care market. By expanding into complementary categories and leveraging new technologies, brands are not only addressing shifting consumer preferences but also positioning themselves to compete more effectively in a crowded and dynamic industry landscape.

Auto-empty capabilities in the stick vacuum segment are not entirely new but were previously limited to premium models from LG and Samsung. This began to change in 2023 with Tineco’s Pure One Station and Shark’s Detect Pro. Throughout 2024, both brands expanded their offerings in this area, with Tineco releasing its GO series and Shark introducing its Clean & Empty and PowerDetect lineups. Additionally, Eureka entered the market with its first auto-empty stick vacuum in 2024, further broadening access to this technology. These advancements reflect an ongoing industry trend toward making high-end features more widely available to meet consumer expectations for convenience and ease of use.

Combination models also gained significant attention in 2024, with Tineco, ECOVACS, and LG making notable strides. Tineco introduced its Switch and Combo models, while ECOVACS expanded its portfolio with its DEEBOT Combo models. These products incorporate interchangeable motors or docking stations, enabling diverse cleaning modes within a single device. At IFA 2024, LG announced a combination model of its own, signaling its entry into this segment. While LG’s model is not yet released, it is expected to make its way into the US market in the near future. By offering a full suite of floor care solutions in one product, combination models reduce the need for consumers to purchase multiple devices from different brands. This strategy allows manufacturers to capture a larger share of the consumer’s floor care budget while aligning with the industry’s focus on efficiency and integration.

Bissell, a long-standing leader in the floor washing segment, also focused on innovation within its CrossWave series throughout 2024. The brand introduced multiple advancements, including its CrossWave OmniFind and OmniForce models, which feature the new FurFinder Headlight for improved pet hair detection and ZeroGap technology for enhanced cleaning reach. These additions reflect Bissell’s commitment to maintaining its leadership position in the floor washing category through continuous product enhancements as more brands look to compete within the floor care segment.

These innovations highlight the floor care industry’s efforts to address evolving consumer needs through advanced technologies and expanded product capabilities. As manufacturers continue to refine and expand their offerings, the market is positioned for further advancements that will shape product features and competitive dynamics in the years to come.

Dreame entered Target’s online assortment with the Z10T Station auto-empty stick vacuum and E30 Ultra robotic vacuum and mop, while Narwal added its Freo Mate to BestBuy.com and its flagship Freo model to Costco.com, despite being limited to Amazon in previous years.

In addition to robotic vacuums, emerging brands expanded their portfolios to compete in adjacent categories after using their innovative robotic vacuum portfolios to penetrate the US market. Roborock introduced its Flexi Pro and Flexi Lite floor washers, growing its floor washer portfolio, while Narwal debuted the S10 Pro floor washer, marking its first non-robotic product. These expansions reflect a broader strategy among international brands to leverage their new footholds in the US market to gain a presence in growing subcategories. By securing strategic placements and broadening offerings, these brands are challenging established manufacturers, driving innovation, and reshaping the competitive landscape of the US floor care industry.

All-in-one models offer a unique space-saving design with both the washer and dryer condensed to a singular unit. Additional benefits include the elimination of the need to transfer laundry from the washer to the dryer, decreasing the time that wet clothes are sitting in a machine. With more consumers living in smaller spaces, such as apartments, as a result of the poor housing market, the compact all-in-one laundry models offer a solution for consumers and builders. Notably, the competing all-in-one models released throughout 2023 and 2024 all use heat pump technology to dry clothes, providing additional savings to consumers through rebates. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act offers Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates for both induction cooking appliances and heat pump-equipped appliances, further incentivizing adoption and underscoring the industry’s shift toward electrification.

In 2024, LG introduced an expanded lineup of heat pump laundry solutions, including all-in-one models, laundry towers, and dryers, as part of its sustainability initiatives. Whirlpool released its first new heat pump dryer in years, the WHD5220RW, which is currently available through regional retailers and is expected to expand to national merchants in 2025.

These developments highlight the growing importance of heat pump technology across the industry, with manufacturers like GE Profile and Samsung also investing in this segment to align with consumer preferences and government incentives.

Heat pump-equipped models now deliver improved energy efficiency, lower operational costs, and reduced reliance on fossil fuels, making them an attractive option for environmentally conscious consumers. Supported by federal rebates, the adoption of this technology is driving innovation and growth in the laundry segment.

As manufacturers continue to develop and promote heat pump solutions, the market is poised for sustained advancements in sustainability and energy efficiency, bolstered by the expanding availability of rebate programs.