In this week’s DRONELIFE Minute Survey, we asked drone operators a question that manufacturers, resellers, software suppliers and more want an answer to: are companies buying drones this year?  And if so – how much are they spending?

There have been a lot of new hardware releases in 2020.  DJI released the Mavic Air 2.  Skydio released the X2 Series.  Autel released the Evo II.  In the midst of a global pandemic, however, will companies buy new hardware this year?

There are a lot of very significant drone business surveys, and a lot of very official forecasts for the drone industry.  The DRONELIFE Minute Survey makes no claim to be either – it’s a way for DRONELIFE to share some of the prevailing buzz that comes our way from readers on a variety of subjects, and for us to track changes over time on topics that we feel would be of interest to our readers and the industry. Recent surveys included pricing in the commercial drone space and the effect of the coronavirus on business at a point in time.

Are Companies Buying Drones This Year?

We asked drone operators first if they were responsible for purchases at their company – and if so, what their budget is for new drone purchases in the rest of the 2020 calendar year.  All answers were – as always – anonymous.  The answers weren’t entirely encouraging – but they aren’t all bad news either.

45% of respondents answered that they did not plan on purchasing new hardware, choosing “No money, no new drones” as an answer.  While that’s not a great indication of growth for the industry, the news gets better – most of the companies who will purchase drones will spend more than $10,000.  In fact, 27% of those surveyed said their company planned to spend mroe than $30,000 on new hardware this year.

How much is your budget for new drones in the 2020 calendar year?

The answers:

• No money, no new drones: 45%
• Less than $10K US: 9%
• $10K to $30K US: 18%
• More than $30K: 27%

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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