Dreame, a Chinese robotics brand best known for its robot vacuums, is facing increasing criticism from Australian mass retailers who claim the company is favouring online marketplaces—particularly Amazon—over traditional brick-and-mortar partners.

Several major retailers have told ChannelNews that they feel they have effectively become the “demo centres” for Dreame and other Chinese robotic vacuum brands, with customers testing products in-store before purchasing them online at significantly cheaper prices.

A check of Amazon’s local web site listings reveals that Dreame currently offers more than 20 models through the platform.

By contrast, Australian mass retailers carry far fewer listings: The Good Guys has only around a dozen Dreame products online, while Harvey Norman offers even fewer. This disparity has sparked frustration among retailers who say brands are prioritising online players due to more favourable margin structures.

Retailers argue that the situation where brands are using their stores as showrooms and then selling goods at cheaper margins to online retailers has reached a breaking point.

As one major chain Harvey Norman executive claimed, “We’re not going to be the showroom where a supplier’s product is demonstrated, only for the customer to buy it online at a much cheaper price.”

Another added that in the new year, retailers will reassess which brands genuinely support the channel and which they may drop entirely.

Another Harvey Norman franchisee echoed the same sentiment: “We spend time educating customers and demonstrating products, only to learn they’ve bought the item directly from the brand or from Amazon, where deeper discounts are being offered than what we’re given. It has to stop.”

A visit to Amazon’s site shows that Dreame’s products are being sold at prices that often undercut local retailers like JB Hi-Fi.

In some cases, Amazon is even offering Dreame models with unique model numbers—despite having the same or similar specifications as products sold in physical stores.

This long-used tactic makes comparison shopping more difficult for customers and complicates price-matching efforts for retailers.

It’s also a practise that mattress suppliers have been doing for years in Australia.Founded in 2015, Dreame Technology is part of the Xiaomi-backed Ecovacs ecosystem of smart-home brands.

Dreame has rapidly expanded across Europe, North America, and Australia, leveraging aggressive online-first distribution and competitive pricing. While the brand officially entered the Australian market in 2023, it has already faced scrutiny for its heavy reliance on e-commerce channels rather than domestic retail partners.

In recent years, Dreame has also announced ambitions to diversify into additional smart-home categories, including smart TVs, signalling its intention to become a broader consumer-electronics competitor.

Dreame’s Upcoming TV Expansion

Dreame is also preparing to move into the television market, with plans to launch new cheap Mini-LED TV models in Europe and the U.S. during the first half of 2026.

Industry sources say the company has already sounded out Australian retailers, though Dreame has not officially confirmed whether the Australian market will be part of the rollout.

Two of the proposed new models include:

Dreame TV S100 – Mini-LED 4K

11-speaker integrated soundbar

144 Hz refresh rate

Sizes expected from 55 inches upward

QLED+ panel with peak brightness up to 1,000 nits

Full HDR support

HDMI 2.1 ports with a dedicated Game Console Mode

Powered by Dreame’s Dreamind Pro AI Processor, which enhances 2K content to near-4K quality, improves colour accuracy, and optimises images in real time

Dreame TV V3000

Premium design and a built-in soundbar

Focus on ultra-fast gaming performance

Maximum brightness levels targeted at high-end display categories

For audio, the S100 includes a 70 W, 11-driver Dolby Atmos soundbar capable of delivering an immersive 270-degree soundstage.