According to analysts at Technavio, the global consumer drone market is expected to grow substantially, recording a CAGR of over 23% by 2020. The rapid growth of the market can be attributed to the use of consumer drones for photography purposes, as well as the use of VR in drones, specifically the integration of VR headsets like Oculus Rift. Competition between vendors is incredibly high, and with a number of risks and challenges to deal with, vendors must ensure that the value add of their products is enough to differentiate themselves and stay relevant in such a rapidly-expanding market.
Technavio’s analysts have identified the following companies as key vendors in the consumer drone market:
3D Robotics
3D Robotics is an American company headquartered in California that designs and manufactures commercial and recreational unmanned aerial vehicles. Specifically, it has produced consumer drones, ready-to-fly quadcopters for aerial photography and mapping, and fixed wing UAVs based on the Ardupilot platform.
Cheerson Hobby
Guangdong Chengxing UAV was established in December 2011. The company is mainly engaged in the development, production and sales of UAVs, including special drones and consumer grade UAVS. Guangdong’s introduction of cooperation in scientific research in colleges and universities has brought civil UAV applications to a wider field, and has promoted national development of the machine industry.
DJI
DJI is headquartered in Shenzhen, widely considered China’s Silicon Valley. DJI’s portfolio consists of consumer and professional drones, imagery solutions, and industrial equipment, designed for various industries including filmmaking, agriculture, conservation, search and rescue, and energy infrastructure. The company has offices in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Parrot
Founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux, Parrot creates, develops and markets high tech wireless products for the retail and professional markets. The company operates in 3 main sectors: Civil Drones (UAVs) through retail leisure quadcopters and cutting hedge professional solutions, automotive, with the widest range of hands-free communication systems and infotainment solutions for the car, and connected objects, in the area of sound as well as gardening. Parrot, headquartered in Paris, currently employs over 900 people worldwide.
Walkera
Established in 1994, Walkera Technology Co., Ltd. has developed into a professional Aero-Model manufacturer that unifies product research & development, production, marketing, and customer service. The company also offers a one-stop solution for agriculture, fire protection, the measurement of land resources and energy fields, etc. Its products are exported to more than 100 countries and regions around the world.
Yuneec
Founded in Hong Kong in 1999, Yuneec International Co. Ltd. is the world leader in electric aviation. With hundreds of patents filed, Yuneec’s core technologies power its manned aircraft as well as its drones and its market leading line of radio controlled aircraft for the hobby market. Yuneec manufactures over 1 million units a year, sold under OEM/ODM brands as well as the Typhoon brand of multi-copters. The company’s achievements include the introduction of the hobby industry’s first “Ready to Fly” radio control electric powered airplane and the design and manufacture of the market leading radio controlled helicopters and micro-copters.
Delair-Tech
Delair-Tech was founded in 2011 with the principal mission to create a small, long range drone capable of providing pipeline surveillance. In 2012, Delair-Tech’s DT18 was the first and only UAV in the world certified for “beyond visual line of sight” (BVLOS) operations. Delair-Tech has since become a one-stop-shop for UAV operators and end users with the Delair-Tech Data Center – a game changing suite of custom, value-adding algorithms which are applied to a wide variety of drone-acquired data sets to automatically extract the most important pieces.
Hobbico
Hobbico, Inc. is the largest U.S. distributor of radio-control and general hobby products — in fact, the largest model hobby company in the world — and, 100% Employee-Owned. Hobbico is engaged in the design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of thousands of hobby products including radio-control and general hobby products. Its merchandise includes a wide variety of radio-control models from cars and boats to airplanes and helicopters.
Shenzhen Hubsan Technology
Shenzhen Hubsan Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2010. The company developed into an enterprise that integrated the research and development, production and sale and sales services for hobbies and toys. Its drone product portfolio includes helicopters, planes, FPVs, and quad copters.
Airdog
Airdog is the world’s first auto-follow drone for GoPro camera, designed for sports enthusiasts, outdoor activities, and filmmaking. The drone comes equipped with 5 different sport modes, including MTB, Wakeboard, Surf, Backcountry, and Windsurf. In 2014, Airdog’s Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded, and it was awarded “best drone or robot” at CES 2015.
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