BURLINGTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 17, 2003–Heading into the busiest stretch of the holiday shopping season, iRobot Corp. today announced that consumers are buying Roomba(R) Robotic Floorvacs in record numbers, making Roomba not only the world’s best-selling mobile robot, but also a favorite among holiday shoppers.
Roomba Floorvac sales at top national retailers increased as much as 600 percent during the six weeks between Oct. 9 and Nov. 22, compared to the previous six weeks, and an additional 65 percent during Thanksgiving week(1). The increase comes as iRobot’s newest models, the Roomba Pro and Roomba Pro Elite Floorvacs, hit retail outlets in volume.
Roomba Floorvac models are recommended among the top 10 gift ideas from Brookstone, The Sharper Image and Hammacher Schlemmer. They were also one of the top-selling items on the Home Shopping Network during the week of Dec. 7. John Kelley, editor of Best magazine, calls Roomba Floorvac “the must-have houseware gift of the season.”
“American consumers are bringing Roomba home because it really works,” said Colin Angle, co-founder and chief executive officer of iRobot. “As consumers buy Roomba Floorvacs in record numbers, they are also fueling a cultural shift. They trust a robot to do a job for them. It’s an amazing thing.”
This holiday season, Roomba is shattering a holiday gift taboo. It has long been considered a poor move to buy your sweetie an appliance as a gift, but a home robot like Roomba makes a vacuum suddenly more personal. To help people get the Roomba Floorvac they desire, iRobot has posted customizable “permission slips” for would-be recipients to give spouses or family members. The permission slip, at http://www.roombavac.com/pslip/permslip.asp, can be printed out and given to friends or family to say, “It’s OK to give me a vacuum this year, as long as it’s a Roomba Floorvac.”
Says Brookstone spokesperson Robert Padgett, “We’re pleased with the brisk sales of Roomba in all of our sales channels. Brookstone stores invite customers to interact with products, and Roomba is certainly a big hit as it navigates the floors and picks up any debris in its path. Roomba complements Brookstone’s assortment of unique and high quality products that make our customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.”
Following a steady rise in orders and demand during October and November, iRobot shipped its two new models to retailers in volume. The Roomba Pro, in blue, and the Roomba Pro Elite, in red, offer extra-strength cleaning for really dirty spots and navigation by remote control, so people can spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying their lives.
Since its debut last year, the award-winning Roomba has developed a dedicated following, inspiring fan Web sites and theme parties. In just one year, Roomba ranks as one of the most requested gifts on wedding registries across the country.
The silver Roomba Floorvac uses iRobot’s unique advanced navigation technology to automatically clean household floor surfaces including hardwood, carpet, tile and linoleum. Roomba Floorvac is available for $199.99 at Amazon.com, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Bloomingdales, BON-macy’s, Brookstone, Burdines, Famous-Barr, Filene’s, Foley’s, Gottschalks, Hammacher Schlemmer, Hecht’s, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Linens-n-Things, Macy’s, Marshall Field’s, The Sharper Image, Target, Rich’s and Robinsons-May.
The slate blue Roomba Pro is ideal for busy households. It has all the features of the original Roomba Floorvac, plus a new “spot cleaning” mode, which allows Roomba Pro to focus on a specific area, such as dirt from a tipped plant or coffee grounds on the kitchen floor. Roomba Pro also comes with two “virtual wall” units that block doorways with an invisible beam, confining Roomba Floorvac to a designated area. The Roomba Pro sells for $229.99 and is available at Linens-n-Things and Amazon.com.
The merlot red Roomba Pro Elite offers the highest levels of convenience and flexibility ever available from iRobot. In addition to all the features of Roomba Pro, the Pro Elite model includes “MAX” cleaning mode for multi-room cleaning or high-traffic areas. The model also features a Roomba Remote that allows users navigate the robotic vacuum around a room, set cleaning options and turn Roomba Pro Elite on or off with the touch of a button. This makes Roomba Pro Elite ideal for everyone, especially people with limited range of movement. The Roomba Pro Elite also includes a lightweight wall mount for easy storage and sells for $249.99. The Roomba Pro Elite is available at Brookstone, Hammacher Schlemmer and The Sharper Image.
Roomba Robotic Floorvacs are designed with features that make them intelligent, safe and easy to use. Standard features include one or two virtual wall units, a cliff-avoidance detector that prevents Roomba Floorvac from falling down stairs, and a non-marring bumper that protects walls and furniture from scuffing.
About iRobot Corp.
iRobot has a long commitment to building robotic products that make living safer and easier for people in many walks of life. Over the past 13 years, iRobot has developed and built innovative products for the U.S. military, law enforcement, industrial cleaning, toy, and consumer markets. Introduced in 2002, Roomba Floorvac was featured as one of the year’s best products by Time magazine, Business Week, and USA Today. For additional information about iRobot, visit www.irobot.com