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Experts expect further growth of the segment against the background of the development of neural networks. The range of smart speakers has expanded and now covers price segments from 5,000 to 45,000 rubles.

The market for smart speakers with a voice assistant amounted to 34 billion rubles in 2023, according to M.Video-Eldorado. In quantitative terms, it reached a record high of 4.3 million units.

Sales of smart speakers in the Russian market exceeded 1 million units for the first time in the quarter. In the first quarter of 2024, in quantitative terms, gadget sales increased by a third (33.3%) to 1.2 million units, according to statistics from M.Video-Eldorado.

According to the OFD Platform company, the number of purchases of smart speakers in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 24% compared to the same period in 2023, and the average receipt increased by 8% and reached 7,501 rubles. According to Dmitry Batyushenkov, director of products at the OFD Platform company, Yandex devices are leading the market (more than 70%), followed by VK and Sber (7-10% each).

The growth is confirmed in the IT holding Fplus: according to the company's statistics, sales of smart speakers increased by 30%. Yandex remained the leader of the segment with a share of 83.2% of the market, followed by VK (6%) and Sber (5.2%), Fplus experts calculated.   The Megamarket recorded a 10-fold increase in demand for smart speakers in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. According to Citylink, sales of smart speakers increased 3.5 times in monetary terms, and 2.5 times in unit terms, a company representative said. In January – March 2024 unit and cash sales of smart speakers on the Ozon marketplace increased by 56 and 76%, respectively, compared to three months last year. The average check in this category increased by 15%, the representative of the marketplace said. In the restore network, sales increased by 20-30%.

VK integrates a smart home into a smart speaker

Yandex remains the leader in the category of smart speakers, and over the year the company managed to increase its share in the category, the number of orders increased 2.7 times, a representative of Citylink confirms. The other columns showed no growth, he added. Apple gadgets and new Yandex models turned out to be the most popular in the restore retail network.

Interest in smart speakers continues to grow, as more and more people want to make their home more technologically advanced and use virtual assistants, a representative of Yandex told the publication. 

"We explain the continued growth in sales of smart speakers by the fact that Russian manufacturers present quite extensive model lines for every taste and with a diverse price offer," said Sergey Uvarov, head of the Telecom and Gadgets department of the M.video–Eldorado group network. According to the representative of Citylink, the high interest in smart speakers is explained by the improvement of voice recognition technologies and response generation, as well as the simplification of the process of integrating virtual assistants into everyday life. The interest in smart speakers is dictated by the trend towards the "intellectualization" of one's life, which is more typical for young people, agrees Rasim Lemberansky, director of the restore technology and electronics network.

"The main attractive component of modern smart speakers has become their integration with other smart devices in the house, such as lamps, sockets and other gadgets of the smart home system," Batyushenkov continues. – Many people purchase several such devices in different rooms at once: for themselves, for children, for use in the kitchen, etc. by analogy with wall and table clocks for each room

The range of smart speakers has expanded and now covers price segments from 5,000 to 45,000 rubles, Kharitonov continues. "In terms of power, conventional speakers are still superior to smart ones at an equal price, but sales are formed by budget devices, and budget "stupid" speakers from little-known manufacturers often do not have the number of claimed watts, and the sound quality is lower than that of proven devices from Yandex, Sber or Mail.ru ", – he notes.

In 2023, the market for smart speakers with voice assistants in quantitative terms reached a record high of 4.3 million units, while in money sales of these devices amounted to just over 34 billion rubles, according to data from M.video-Eldorado. According to the forecasts of the representative of Citylink, in 2024 the growth of the smart speaker market will remain at the level of 50-60%, and the main driver will be smart speakers from Yandex. With the advent of new functions in neural networks, the demand for smart speaker purchases this year may increase by another 50% compared to 2023, Lemberansky believes.

Ozon expects more restrained growth figures – at the level of 20% year-on-year, the representative shared his forecasts. Peak demand will occur on holidays, when sales of smart speakers traditionally grow, and companies hold promotions, for example, give discounts, free subscriptions to attract new customers, Fplus business analyst Artur Makhlaiuk expects.

The market will continue to grow along with the growing penetration of subscriptions to services among residents of the Russian Federation, Kharitonov believes. "While 60% of Russians use subscriptions, and the popularity of smart home systems in Russia is still in its infancy, the growth potential of smart speakers is far from being exhausted," the expert continues. - At least, there is no decline in sales until the end of 2024."

Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2024/04/18/1032539-v-rossii-podskochil-spros-na-umnie-kolonki?utm_campaign=newspaper_18_4_2024&utm_medium=email&utm_source=vedomosti