The Chinese capital of Beijing has launched a marketplace exclusively for robots during the World Robot Conference, transforming machines from lab prototypes to consumer products.
Officially opened on last Friday, the shopping mall offers more than 100 kinds of robots, integrating robot sales, spare parts supply, after-sales service, and information feedback.
Every robot has a price tag. For humanoid robots, prices vary dramatically, differing by tenfold.
The supply chain maturity and robotic functionality are critical factors behind pricing, according a manager of the robot mall.
"Most robots currently serve specialized functions. Their capabilities vary significantly across different scenarios like industrial settings, medical applications, and daily companionship. This functional divergence directly impacts production costs," said Meng Yanpei, a manager of the mall.
Consumers to the mall are met with a wide range of robotic solutions, from logistics bots to transport droids, which cost 2 million yuan (about 278,000 U.S. dollars).
The total revenue of the shopping mall has reached nearly 2 million U.S. dollars, said Meng.
"For B2B clients, the majority procure industrial or task-specific robots. E-town currently offers sales subsidies for these professional-grade machines. So, sales of these robots are good. On the consumer side (B2C), chess-playing and companion robots, such as Wukong robot, Loona robot, and SenseRobot, dominate on-site sales," said Meng.
The mall's physical presence allows customers to interact with robots firsthand, compare models side by side, and make informed purchasing decisions—bringing a sense of tangibility to what was once futuristic tech.
"Yes. Yes. We will have a huge demand in the future, because it's the new direction of the whole world, like cars," said a Russian customer.
The 2025 World Robot Conference has brought together more than 200 robotics companies from around the world to present their latest innovations, including more than 50 companies displaying hundreds of humanoid robots.
Co-hosted by the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the World Robot Cooperation Organization, the five-day 2025 World Robot Conference features forums, exhibitions, competitions and networking events.
World's 1st Robot Mall opens in Beijing, boosting hi-tech consumption
