Rennie Addabbo, General Manager of Sonos APAC, discusses the company’s strategy emphasis on the Indian market, the recent release of the Sonos Ace headphones, and its outlook for home audio in the area in an exclusive conversation with Business Today.
robust expansion in India
According to Addabbo, Sonos has grown significantly in India since joining the market three years ago. He emphasizes that Indian consumers are embracing the brand’s primary value proposition – a systemless approach to home audio that enables flexible expansion and multi-room listening experiences.
“What I’ve observed, and it compares very favorably to other parts of the area, to be honest, other parts of the globe, is that Indian customers and Indians themselves are adopting Sonos because of what I believe to be its fundamental feature—the lack of a centralized system. As a result, Indian customers are bringing Sonos into every room in their homes. Playing free music across a person’s house was the core of what inspired Addabbo to start Sonos in the first place.
An Emphasis on Premiumization
Addabbo notes that Indian buyers exhibit a significant inclination towards high-end items. The company’s flagship soundbar, the Sonos Arc, is in greater demand than its more reasonably priced sibling, the Sonos Beam. He says this
“Addabbo continues. “I see that nowhere else in Asia. Alright? Beam is doing well in sales, but they are in perfect condition. Nonetheless, Sonos’s devoted Indian clientele demands the best that our offerings have to provide.”
Connecting Sonos Ace to Home Theater and Personal Listening
With the introduction of the Ace headphones, Sonos has made a foray into the Indian personal listening industry. Addabbo believes that the headphones’ TV Audio Swap feature, which enables them to blend in perfectly with home theater systems, provides them a marketable differentiator.
Priorities for Upcoming Development
Addabbo lists the following as Sonos’ top targets for long-term development in India and the APAC region: Home Environment Expansion: Meeting the rising need in bigger Indian houses for multi-room audio systems.
Professional and Commercial Markets: Making use of the company’s experience with audio and broadening its line of products to serve retail establishments and hospitality venues as well as professional and commercial locations.
Possibilities and Difficulties
According to Addabbo, one of the main issues facing the Indian industry is informing customers about the value of premium audio in addition to big-screen televisions. He believes that by emphasizing the immersive home theater experience that Sonos devices can offer, he can help close this gap.
“One thing that we need to do and do the best job we can, and that’s where we need the help of partners around us, is help consumers understand that the bigger TVs get, the better they look, but typically the worse they sound,” Addabbo says. “Therefore, it is common to see that customers may believe they are watching a movie. When they get the large TV home, they discover that the audio and sound quality don’t.
Sonos’s Promising Future in India
Addabbo is upbeat about Sonos’ potential in the Indian market, pointing out the company’s solid reputation as a brand, dedication to innovation, and acute awareness of customer demands.
Addabbo ends, “I’m encouraged by what we’ve seen as initial take-up in India.” “So that gives me confidence that there’s a place in the heart and minds of Indian consumers for Sonos and vice versa, that we’re a good fit for the way Indian households live and spend their time.”