LAWN & GARDEN EQUIPMENT MARKET SIZE AND SHARE ANALYSIS - GROWTH TRENDS AND FORECASTS (2023 - 2030)

Market Challenges And Opportunities

• Growing adoption of sustainable green spaces: Growing adoption of sustainable green spaces such as green roofs, vertical gardens, and green walls in residential and commercial buildings is a key factor driving the Lawn & Garden Equipment Market growth. Urban planners and architects are increasingly incorporating green spaces into building design to enhance aesthetics, improve air quality, and reduce ambient temperatures. The proliferation of green buildings and spaces is resulting in high demand for landscaping tools and equipment like trimmers, pruners, tillers, and lawnmowers for installation and maintenance activities. Professional landscapers are widely using advanced robotic mowers and artificial intelligence (AI)-based turf management solutions for large green spaces. According to 2022 data provided by the World Economic Forum, The share of the world's population living in cities is expected to rise to 80% by 2050, from 55%.
• Growth of landscaping industry: The professional landscaping services industry has witnessed steady growth over the between 2020-2022 driven by economic growth and rising greening and gardening activities. Growing number of mega-projects and large-scale landscaping contracts for commercial properties, sports stadiums, hotels, corporate campuses is generating high demand for heavy-duty and robotic lawn maintenance equipment. Landscapers are adopting more efficient battery-powered and electric equipment to reduce fuel costs and emissions. The growth of the landscaping industry globally is a key driver for commercial-grade Lawn Garden equipment. According to the data provided by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs globally, the urban population is projected to increase by approximately 1.5 times between 2018 and 2050.
• Product innovations and cordless equipment: Key manufacturers are focusing on innovations in terms of efficiency, durability, battery performance, charging capacity, and noise reduction to gain a competitive edge in the market. Advances such as Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled robotic mowers, smart lawn optimization software, and cloud-based fleet management solutions are gaining wider adoption. Moreover, the growing consumer preference towards cordless equipment due to lower maintenance and operating costs is driving product development. According to statistics provided by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, over 90% of population growth is projected to occur in Asia and Africa through 2050, where cities are swelling and standards of living rising.
• Surging popularity of DIY activities: The significant rise in DIY and home improvement projects especially backyard landscaping among residential users during the COVID-19 pandemic boosted the sales of Lawn Garden equipment. With consumers spending more time at home, gardening and lawn care gained popularity as hobbies and leisure activities leading to high demand for landscaping equipment. According to the survey provided by the National Gardening, household expenditure on gardening and landscaping products in the U.S. witnessed 9% Year-over-year (YoY) growth in 2020. The rising DIY trend fueled by social media, e-commerce, and online tutorials has been instrumental in driving the consumer Lawn Garden equipment demand.

• Rental equipment services: The rental model for Lawn Garden equipment such as chainsaws, lawnmowers, rotary tillers, cultivators, and shredders for both residential and professional users presents significant growth opportunities. Rental services provide flexibility, eliminate high ownership costs, and prevent storage overheads. Home Depot (offers various products, including building materials, home improvement supplies, hardware, electrical products, kitchen and bath products, flooring and paint products, appliances, and lawn and indoor and outdoor garden products), United Rentals (an American publicly traded company), and Sunbelt Rentals (provides equipment rental solutions. The Company offers aerial work platforms, ladders, air compressors, forklifts, specialty tools) are among the major rental equipment companies offering lawn and landscaping tools on rent. With millennial homeowners preferring to rent instead of buying equipment, the rental services sector is expected to create profitable prospects for manufacturers and distributors in the Lawn & Garden Equipment Market. According to the National Home Garden Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, over 13% increase in the number of households planted vegetables or herbs between 2019 and 2020.
• Semi-autonomous equipment: The emergence of semi-autonomous or operator-assisted lawn mowers and tractors integrated with features like auto turnaround, obstacle detection, all-wheel drive assist, and auto-articulating implements provides enhanced user experience and control. Partially self-driving equipment increases operator productivity and reduces physical effort. John Deere (production of agricultural, construction, and forestry equipment and solutions) Auto Path system for lawn tractors enables turning and steering assistance via GPS for more precise mowing and navigation on slopes. Companies can leverage intelligent technologies like radar, sensors, cameras, and AI to develop the next generation of user-friendly and efficient smart outdoor power tools. According to data provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, average hourly labor costs increased by over 15% globally between 2020-2022 across major markets for Lawn Garden equipment.
• Battery-as-a-service models: Pay-per-use models similar to “batteries-as-a-service” present an innovative opportunity for manufacturers to provide landscaping teams and contractors access to charged battery packs as a subscription service for electric equipment. It can lower the high upfront costs of migrating to battery-powered tools. In May 2021, Oregon, U.S.-based Mean Green (offers a full range of electrified commercial mowers that can mow all day on a single charge) launched the Mower, which provides commercial mowing contractors charged battery access at a reasonable monthly rental fee. Adoption of such flexible financing models can help overcome customer concerns regarding the limited run times, range, and higher prices of cordless outdoor electric equipment. In 2022, according to  data provided by the  International Transport Forum, Battery as a Service programs launched by companies such as Daimler (commercial vehicle manufacturer) for electric trucks in Europe during 2022-23 have shown high customer satisfaction due to affordable access and hassle-free operation.
• Connected fleet management solutions: Integration of IoT, fleet tracking telematics, and cloud-based lawn equipment management software to enable remote monitoring, preventive maintenance scheduling, utilization tracking, and inventory management for commercial landscaping crews provides scope for growth. Companies like Mower, BossLabs, and WeFix offer equipment fleet management platforms with capabilities such as utilization rates, automated billing, asset mapping, work order scheduling, and equipment sharing. Adoption of smart solutions can aid businesses in optimizing asset productivity and gaining a competitive edge. By 2023, over 80% of commercial Lawn Garden fleets are projected to use some form of telematics according to statistics provided by the EU Commission. This level of digital transformation will undeniably drive further revenues and sustainability within the industry.

• High equipment costs: The significant upfront costs of commercial-grade and heavy-duty landscaping equipment including zero-turn mowers, compact tractors, turf cutters, debris loaders, and robotic mowers is a major adoption challenge. The costs involved in transitioning fleets to battery-powered versions further add to reluctance among small contractors and budget-conscious homeowners. Financing options and low-cost models can help improve technology penetration among price-sensitive customer segments in developing regions.
• Intense competition: The Lawn & Garden Equipment Market is highly competitive with the presence of numerous established international, regional, and local manufacturers. Competitive pricing pressure affects vendor profitability, especially in the commodity products segment. Moreover, low product differentiation in petrol-powered equipment and lack of brand loyalty makes it difficult for players to retain customers. Developing products with advanced features and technology is critical for companies to gain a strategic edge.
• Seasonal and weather conditions: The demand for lawn mowers, shredders, chippers, tillers, and other gardening equipment is seasonal in nature with sales peaking during the spring and summer months. Cold weather conditions during winter months significantly reduce consumer expenditure  on lawn maintenance product. This results in high seasonality risks and underutilized production capacity for manufacturers. To counterbalance the restraint, proper gardening equipment should be made available during cold weather conditions, so that no work gets delayed due to seasonal and weather conditions.