2021 DJI market share takes a huge hit on commercial side
DJI might not be the behemoth it once was — at least on the commercial side. The 2021 DJI market share of enterprise drone products saw a huge nosedive this year, down 15 points from 2020 to 54%.
Still, 54% is still a majority market share and — relative to most other tech industries — still enormous. But it’s well below the market share figures north of 70% that DJI has seen in year’s past. That’s according to the latest DroneAnalyst 2021 Drone Market Sector Report, which was released today.
The report was based on an online survey that garnered over 1,800 respondents, representing 39 industries across 110 countries, and a series of qualitative interviews.
The No. 2 company by market share was Autel, which first rose to the scene with its ‘copycat’ Autel X-Star drone that all but mirrored the DJI Phantom, albeit in a bright orange color rather than the Phantom’s iconic white mold. And even still, Autel has just a measly 7% market share.
It’s hard to say if there is even a true “runner-up,” as brands lumped under “Other” rose from 10% of purchases in 2020 to 19% today. That could be good news for the latest crop of American drone companies springing up, as there are increasingly more small companies getting into niche markets with mission-specific drones popping onto the scene. In fact, U.S. drone manufacturers rose 9 points from last year’s data to take up 16% of drone sales, while China fell from 77% to 64%.
American drone companies to note of late include companies like Montana-based Skyfish that have designed a drone to carry Sony cameras, or Los Angeles-based A2Z, which makes the RDSX delivery drone. There are countless others.
Here’s the current 2021 drone brand market share by country of origin:
Other countries that notably standout include France, which is home to one of the first players in the consumer drone space, Parrot (though Parrot has since pivoted to largely focus on the enterprise market) and Switzerland, which is increasingly growing as a hub for drones.
What’s the 2021 DJI market share for the consumer side?
That said, DJI far and away wins when it comes to market share on the consumer side. The company, which makes easy-to-use, consumer friendly drones designed for newbies like the Mini 2 or the Mavic Air 2, has a whopping 94% market share, according to DroneAnalyst 2021 Drone Market Sector Report.
There are few American drone companies making consumer-focused drones. GoPro and 3D Robotics both tried to make a hobbyist-friendly camera drone — and failed. In fact, all but one of the drones in our “Best Drones for Photographers” buying guide is a DJI drone.
Can DJI retain its crown as top commercial drone manufacturer in 2022? Will other companies come onto the scene in the consumer side? Leave your thoughts below! And, check out the entireDroneAnalyst 2021 Drone Market Sector Report here.
Why is there never any talk about how many drones DJI actually sells every year (to consumers). It’s always the percentage share of the market, but that gives no idea of how big the market actually is. Do they sell a million each year? Ten million? Who knows because there hasn’t been a numbers report written by anyone in several years (when it was in the ten thousands). Seems like an interesting story there no one wants to venture near. No idea why.