The value of China’s smart home market is projected to reach 436.9 billion yuan in 2021, according to the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute, and smart home ecosystems are set to expand thanks to technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).

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Last year’s “Double 11” online shopping festival on Tmall, the online shopping platform under e-commerce giant Alibaba, showed that there was strong demand among Chinese consumers for smart home appliances, demonstrating the great potential for the industry.

“We didn’t expect that we could sell so many products on the first day of advance sales during the shopping spree,” said an official with Ecovacs, China’s largest in-home robotic products manufacturer, adding that the company sold 10,000 robot cleaners at 2,699 yuan per unit in just 32 minutes.

“Smart home devices have become a new consumption trend,” said Yang Guang, general manager of Tmall’s Consumer Electronics and Home Furnishing Business Department.

Many companies are now competing for a share of the smart home market. Chinese tech giant Huawei has introduced smart home solutions covering various applications, while smartphone maker Xiaomi has boosted development of its smart home solutions based on technologies such as AI and IoT.

More Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba and Baidu, have rolled out their own smart home platforms, providing more opportunities for companies that produce smart home appliances.