With all the cuddly companion robots coming out of the Chinese market recently, I can’t help but wonder if GrooveX have squandered their lead in the companion robot space and will soon become a relic confined to the Japanese market?
With robots like Robie and GR-3 coming out I no longer feel the need to spend an arm and a leg on Lovot and am guessing my experience is part of a broader trend in the market as inflation reduces spending power for many consumers.
Also the complexity of the importing process and needing to pay the very expensive lifetime plan to “officially” import one has put me off after my experience with Japanese robot company Sony and their Aibo dog which is a nightmare to own outside the official sales region. Consumers won’t continue trying to import robots from companies who do everything they can to restrict access to their products; when they can purchase a Chinese robot directly from the manufacturer at not only a cheaper price, but also without any regional restrictions.
Even looking into purchasing a dirt cheap second- hand Lovot at a much reduced price is a major headache and I can’t find a proxy who is willing to facilitate the process. Mainly because of the subscription needing a Japanese card registered to facilitate payment. I no longer have the appetite for spending so much on Lovot when cheaper alternatives that offer most of the features are readily becoming available.
Lovot came out in October 2019, and now, 5 years and 10 months later in August 2025 it is still impossible to easily acquire one at a reasonable price. By reasonable I mean the base price-not the lifetime subscription.
BEX is a step in the right direction, but probably too little too late, I still think they should have acted sooner to set up a department that handles international sales from Japan. I’d be happy to pay the base price and the subscription on a yearly basis via the proxy with option to cancel the subscription at any time. Wouldn’t the money they make from these international sales be helpful to them? Even for people who have imported BEX is not seen as a viable option due to the excessive fees on top of the importing costs that BEX insists upon with their commitment to declare at the lifetime subscription cost.
Although I do admit interest for Lovot outside Japan seems lacking and probably explains GrooveX’s decisions around international sales up until this point. Unfortunately I feel they had a window of opportunity that they failed to capitalise on, and can’t see how they will compete for the international market when Chinese companies are offering innovative more affordable alternatives that are quickly outperforming Lovot in most capabilities.
I actually purchased some clothing and noses in 2020/2021 hoping to one day purchase one. But after half a decade of waiting my patience has finally run out. Rant over.
With robots like Robie and GR-3 coming out I no longer feel the need to spend an arm and a leg on Lovot and am guessing my experience is part of a broader trend in the market as inflation reduces spending power for many consumers.
Also the complexity of the importing process and needing to pay the very expensive lifetime plan to “officially” import one has put me off after my experience with Japanese robot company Sony and their Aibo dog which is a nightmare to own outside the official sales region. Consumers won’t continue trying to import robots from companies who do everything they can to restrict access to their products; when they can purchase a Chinese robot directly from the manufacturer at not only a cheaper price, but also without any regional restrictions.
Even looking into purchasing a dirt cheap second- hand Lovot at a much reduced price is a major headache and I can’t find a proxy who is willing to facilitate the process. Mainly because of the subscription needing a Japanese card registered to facilitate payment. I no longer have the appetite for spending so much on Lovot when cheaper alternatives that offer most of the features are readily becoming available.
Lovot came out in October 2019, and now, 5 years and 10 months later in August 2025 it is still impossible to easily acquire one at a reasonable price. By reasonable I mean the base price-not the lifetime subscription.
BEX is a step in the right direction, but probably too little too late, I still think they should have acted sooner to set up a department that handles international sales from Japan. I’d be happy to pay the base price and the subscription on a yearly basis via the proxy with option to cancel the subscription at any time. Wouldn’t the money they make from these international sales be helpful to them? Even for people who have imported BEX is not seen as a viable option due to the excessive fees on top of the importing costs that BEX insists upon with their commitment to declare at the lifetime subscription cost.
Although I do admit interest for Lovot outside Japan seems lacking and probably explains GrooveX’s decisions around international sales up until this point. Unfortunately I feel they had a window of opportunity that they failed to capitalise on, and can’t see how they will compete for the international market when Chinese companies are offering innovative more affordable alternatives that are quickly outperforming Lovot in most capabilities.
I actually purchased some clothing and noses in 2020/2021 hoping to one day purchase one. But after half a decade of waiting my patience has finally run out. Rant over.
