Sonos Sells 2.5x More Arc Soundbars Than Beam In India: GM Rennie Addabbo

Forbes

09-05-2025

Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 connected to a TV
Prakhar Khanna
Sonos has launched the Arc Ultra soundbar alongside Sub 4 subwoofer and Era 100 Pro speaker in India. The most expensive Sonos soundbar debuts with a new technology called Sound Motion, which redesigns the diaphragm responsible to displace air and produce sound, helping the Arc Ultra deliver better lower frequencies in a more compact form factor.
As the company expands its product portfolio in India, I sat down with Rennie Addabbo, General Manager of Sonos APAC to discuss the growing premium audio market in the country, Sonos' strategy for reaching Indian consumers and more.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
You said last year that the premium audio segment in India is expanding. Is it still the case? And how does Sonos plan to expand their user base in the country?
So it is expanding. We can see it grow. We see that across multiple parts of our portfolio. Home theater continues to be a really important part of that growth, and that comes on the back of increased homeownership and the investment in the home, but also the increase in growth in larger TVs.
As we see TVs get larger, they get thinner. And as they get thinner, it's harder to create good sound. That naturally means that there is an increasing amount of demand for us to bring an amazing audio experience to an amazing visual experience and make sure those experiences are matched. We continue to see that in the Indian market.
Interesting. How are you communicating the benefits of the Sonos system? Like, one of the USPs of owning Sonos products is a multi-room setup. How are you communicating that to the consumers?
In many ways, part of that is the conversations we have with you. We have traditional marketing methods, and we've got an extensive channel environment established in India.
We've got a really strong installation channel and they are often our biggest advocates right around the world. They understand Sonos from the staff. They understand multi-room really well, as well as smarthome technology and how to integrate that with Sonos. More than 55% of our business today in India comes from our installation channel.
Independent experts who provide service, solution and set up in homes is something that's super important in India. Part of the way we communicate with our Indian audience is through that channel.
We're also in Chroma, Reliance, Vijay Sales and other key consumer electronics players. We have a presence across 80 stores today and are investing in more, as well as a presence on Amazon, as you'd imagine. We're super proud of our first experience store in Mumbai at Jio World with the White Crow. part of the luxury premium retail.
Can you tell me more about the store in Jio World?
We worked with him and they were super keen to bring our brand to their customers. As part of the White Crow store in Jio World, there is a specific Sonos Experience center in that location It is somewhere where Indian premium mall shoppers can experience Sonos.
Bose hasn't launched a new soundar in India in a while. Is that helping Sonos? How do you compete in the premium INR 50k+ segment?.
I would say the way we've always approached Sonos is, are we finding the right customer? So I think the best way to think about that question from our point of view is, are we finding an audience where we fit? And is there a good fit between that audience and Sonos proposition?
We are finding that in India. What gives me incredible confidence about our potential in India is that we sell 2.5 times more Arcs than we do Beam in India. And Beam sells super well here. So what an Indian consumer is telling us is that they really appreciate and value our premium products..
We're seeing some of the best attach rates (the number of products that are purchased together) by a Sonos customer in the world. They're amongst the highest in the world in India. Higher than the U.S.
I primarily cover phones and India is considered a price-sensitive market. I was under the impression that Beam or Ray would be the best-selling models here.
Yeah, Beam and Ray sell well but we sell two and a half times more Arc than Beam. When I talk to people in India, they find that compelling, I find it compelling because I'm able to share with our global organization that there is this really strong fit with a premium consumer that's looking for amazing high high-quality products in India and what Sonos has to offer.
It's about making sure that we continue to tell our story through our independent channel – they're strong for us and they do a great job – through consumer electronics and building on that, and through our direct experience to consumers and telling them directly.
Do you think more Experience Zones would help with expansion? Because while retailers have the product, they don't have the expertise to explain the features.
From my point of view, those multiple channels working together in super important. And from what we see in all of our markets is that it's super valuable to have to strength in each of those channels, and it offers us the right balance. There are different shoppers for Sonos. There may be shoppers who want to enter the Sonos category through a single device and portability. And there's also a customer who wants to enjoy a complete home setup with full 5.1 home theater, not just in their living room, but in their bedrooms. I've seen that in India.
Home theater systems in the bedrooms?
Yes. Yes. I'm not seen that in Australia. Not that I've been into a lot of homes in Australia.
Well, we have smaller spaces here.
And smaller spaces. Yes. With the Sonos system, you can start with one or start with many and build over time, and they all work together. I think part of the way we look at a market, like India is, how do we have the balance of channel that can cater to different types of audiences that appreciate quality experiences that appreciate quality content, that are invested in their entertainment experience at home – whether that be TVs, movies, or music, and want that beautiful, warm sound that Sonos can deliver.
We find that in those different channels. In consumer electronics, there are shoppers looking for that in an installation channel, which is a super strong channel for us. And you know how important e-commerce and quick commerce are becoming in India. That's certainly an important part of the balance for us too.
Sonos Arc Ultra
Prakhar Khanna
Right. Moving to the new Sound Motion tech, do you plan on delivering it in a much smaller form factor, like in a portable Bluetooth speaker?
So that's technology we've had for a few years now and we've brought to market for the first time through our Arc Ultra. It's an amazing innovation. I know the global team will continue to look at avenues for using that technology across our portfolio or where it goes from here. I'm as curious as you.
And in some ways, I like that because our engineers and our product group are really well placed to work out what the right innovation experience is for our customers and to make sure that our experience comes first and the tech team is behind in support and service of that experience. So I'm incredibly excited to see where we take it from here.
Ok, and will Sonos make earbuds following the Ace headphones?
Our focus will be to continue that category. Nothing to share in terms of what expansion might look like beyond Sonos Ace. We think it's an incredible product, I love the way it connects with our home theatre experience. You've had some of that. And so it's pleasing to hear that, and then it'll be something that we continue to focus on, as we know, continue to tell people about the Sonor story.
Have you seen any purchasing behaviour differences in India as compared to the rest of the world?
We are seeing an incredible connection between what we're offering an Indian audience, reinforced by the amount of Arc we're selling relative to being. I can tell you, with confidence, that Indian consumers and the package they're buying from us as their first purchase is the highest amongst the highest in the world.
They are buying two or three Sonos devices as their first purchase. It is as high as anywhere else.
Sonos has always done extremely well with word of mouth. Really, really well, because that's one of those things that's easy to show in your home. Right. Check this out, you know, and then starts the conversation.
Yeah, so if you're looking for how we compete, how do we stay relevant in markets like India, that word of mouth is super strong for us, alongside that installation channel. If you are trying to understand what makes us unique and different, if you think through the lens of word of mouth and think through the lens of installation channel, I don't think many other brands have the same impact and quality of those two things that we have available to us.
As I talk about different types of consumer electronic products, when I think of different brands, the word of mouth and installation channels make us somewhat unique. It is a strength of ours, which is relevant in markets like India.
Is there something I didn't ask but you'd like to share?
For me, I think it's super important we continue to tell the multi-room story to Indian consumers. We find this in many parts of the world where many consumers might just still see audio in their home as a single device in a single location. And that's part of our strength, but part of our obligation, part of our responsibilities, tell them you can fill your music with home. Like, silent homes are not good homes.
We know, people are happier in homes that are filled with music. We've got research to prove it.
Can you tell me more about the research?
Yes, so we did a Music Makes the Home study (not specific to India) and we found this: Where people listen to music, they're happier and their relationships are stronger.
I'm going to give you some of the stats on memory, it is something like 68% of the people we survey told us that the food tastes better with music. The same food, the same dish that you're having now, two out of three people tell us it tasted better with music.
It [the study] was done in 2016, and 83% of participants found that doing chores was easier with music. They were spending an additional three hours and 13 minutes together with their household members when they just listened to music out loud. Love is expressed more regularly with music.
One of the things I know I need to continue to do, that we need to continue to do, my team, all of us, is to help people understand that they can fill their home with music. And that it all works together or can work together. It's really powerful, too. Bringing music into people's homes is really powerful.
There's some of that and then also within app, the ability to customize the sound. There are abilities to tune the sound for your location and TruePlay. Not a lot of people probably know about TruePlay. That ability, within the space of 30 to 60 seconds, to use your phone and tune the sound for your room.
I'm asking it again, but wouldn't more Sonos Experience Zones help with this – to help consumers better understand these Sonos features?
I think it's important that we have a balance. It is important to have Experience Zones but I think it's also important that we have the best experience possible working with our partners like Croma and Reliance Digital. And it's super valuable for them to work with brands like us to bring those experiences to life for customers.
Customers often go to retail spaces as a place of discovery. It's often that first point of discovery for 'what are my options?' I think it's important that we should be there, so that they know we are one of the best options for customers. And then the direct experiences, okay, someone's walking in, they're only going to get a Sonus Experience – Both of those things are important.