Dreame, the secret of the rise in domestic robots is all in social media

Souzhou (China)

Many generations of Italians in the last century grew up with the model of 'the American dream': believe in what you do and you can become rich and famous. But times change and today we have to deal with 'Chinese dreams' such as Dreame: a company specialising in domestic robotics that in less than five years has gone from zero to European market leader in at least two segments: robots and scrubbing brooms. But how did it do it?

Founded in 2017 within an innovation club at Tsinghua University at the initiative of current CEO Yu Hao, Dreame has transformed a passion for the smart home into a global-scale industrial reality in less than a few years. Its success is closely linked to the development of high-speed digital electric motors, capable of up to 200,000 revolutions per minute; a proprietary technology that has enabled it to offer high suction power across its entire range of home and personal care products. Its entry into the European market in 2018 triggered an explosive expansion phase that has led the brand to take the leading position in robot vacuums in strategic markets such as Germany, France and Italia between 2024 and 2025. With more than 30 million households served in more than 100 countries and a network of 6,000 points of sale, the company now employs around 80,000 people, with 60% of its workforce in research and development departments.

Its success is based on three fundamental pillars. The first is that of a very accurate localisation strategy based on listening directly to users' needs. The company does not limit itself to exporting products, but adapts its innovations - such as the bionic arm for cleaning corners or ultra-rapid charging systems - by constantly analysing discussions on forums and social media to intercept consumers' real problems. "Users' needs," says Sean Chen, Managing Director Dreame WEU, "are quite similar from country to country, but the environments to be cleaned change and this makes different features more strategic from time to time. That is why it is important to listen very carefully to social."

Secondly, Dreame put a lot of emphasis on flexibility from a commercial point of view. "When we arrived in the European market," continues Chen, "we immediately realised that we had to establish partnerships with the distribution channel, adapting to their needs and giving them a hand in defining sales strategies for our products. Finally, the last crucial element is the realisation of highly innovative products that can only be achieved with the ability to attract multidisciplinary talents from various industrial sectors, combining the specific experience of external experts with the robustness of our own AI and robotics technologies. This operational flexibility is also reflected in the so-called 'Dreame speed', an organisational model in which strategic decisions are made within a single working day, ensuring a reactivity to market changes that is at least unusual.