Smart speakers Voice assistants (Russian market)

2023

Sales of smart speakers in Russia soared by 71% and reached ₽36 billion

The market for smart speakers and other voice devices in Russia showed significant growth in 2023, reaching ₽36 billion. This is 71% more compared to 2022, when the market volume was ₽21 billion. Such data were released in October 2024 as part of a study on the development of the voice assistant market.

According to Kommersant, according to MTS forecasts, by 2025 the volume of the voice assistant market may reach ₽62 billion, which will mean an increase of 195% compared to 2022. It is expected that in 2024 the segment will reach ₽51 billion. In quantitative terms, the sale of about 6.6 million devices is predicted in 2024 and 7.9 million in 2025.

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Freepik

Experts note that several factors contribute to the growth of the popularity of smart speakers. Among them are the increasing adoption of smart home devices, the growing penetration of smartphones and other gadgets with voice assistants. Denis Kuskov, General Director of TelecomDaily Agency, emphasizes that sales of devices with voice assistants are growing annually, which is facilitated by their low cost and integration into smart home systems.

According to the study, VCIOM 80% of Russians know about smart home technology, while 23% have already used its functions. Among the most sought-after skills of voice assistants are broadcasting music, searching for weather and news information, and managing smart home devices.

Inessa Galaktionova, First Vice President for Telecommunications Business of MTS, notes that in the future voice assistants will be integrated into new devices. Assistants can appear in phone handsets, smart wearables, microphones, glasses, as well as corporate and office platforms, she said.^[1]

65% growth in sales of smart speakers

Sales of smart speakers in Russia at the end of 2023 soared by 65% compared to 2022. Such data in January 2024 were provided by the fiscal data operator Platform OFD and the retailer M.Video-Eldorado.

According to Marvel Distribution, from January to November 2023 alone, about 3.4 million smart speakers were sold in Russia, while a little more than 3 million devices were sold for the entire 2022.

Sales of smart speakers soared by 65% compared to 2022

Yandex told Vedomosti that a significant share of smart speaker sales fell on the New Year period. So, only in December 2023, Yandex.Stations sold in excess of 1 million units.

Alexey Barov, general director of Platform OFD, noted that smart speakers remain the leader in sales of smart equipment. He also added that consumers often use several such devices at once in the same house.

According to the OFD Platform, the average check for the purchase of smart speakers of domestic brands in 2023 was 7590 rubles, which is 7% more compared to 2022.

According to Megamarket, sales of smart speakers for 2023 increased sevenfold. The leader is Yandex, namely Light Station and Mini Station.

The leader, according to Marvel Distribution, was Yandex with a 79.4% share in sales in units. On the second Vkontakte"" - 7.6%, on the third Sber"" - 5%. The best-selling speakers, according to M.Video-Eldorado, are Light Station, Mini Station, Second Generation Station SberBoom Mini , and VK Neo.

Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics, calls the release of new models, including more affordable ones, as one of the key reasons for the growth of the smart speaker market. Experts interviewed by the newspaper, commenting on the market situation, noted that by the beginning of January 2024, the demand for this equipment was far from saturated.^[2]

2022

Increase in sales of smart speakers by 2.3 times to 3 million units

Sales of smart speakers with voice assistants in Russia in 2022 increased 2.3 times compared to the volume of the previous year and reached 3 million units. This was announced at the end of January 2023 by the head of the Entertainment and Gadgets business unit of the M.video-Eldorado group, Sergei Sukhorukov.

According to him, about a third of all devices sold in 2022 were purchased by Russians in December. Deputy Director for Strategic Development of the Group F+ techMarvell"-" Stanislav Soltitsky in a conversation with Sheets"" confirmed the market estimate of 3 million units at the end of 2022.

Sales of smart speakers in Russia for the year increased 2.3 times

According to both experts, sales of columns in monetary terms in 2022 reached 24 billion rubles, and the average check amounted to almost 8 thousand rubles. The most popular devices were models from Yandex: their share was 89% on the market, followed by VK with 9% and Sber with the rest of the brands with 1% of the market. Megafon said that devices from Yandex (90% of sales), JBL and Xiaomi were in high demand on their network.

During 2022, Yandex sold 2 million Yandex Stations, Sergei Melnik, head of Alice and Yandex smart devices, told the newspaper. He believes that sales growth in the coming years will be expressed in double digits. The widespread use of Yandex speakers is due to the sale of devices as part of a subscription package, said Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics. He called the decision to monetize a Russian company optimal for the development of its own ecosystem. According to Burmistrov, by the beginning of 2023, the number of existing smart speakers in the Russian Federation is about 5 million.

The growth in sales of smart speakers was also recorded on Ozon - there they doubled in 2022 compared to 2021, in Citylinka - 1.5 times.^[3]

Russians purchased 1.35 million "smart" speakers

M.Video-Eldorado Group noted an active growth in demand for speakers with virtual assistants in Russia by almost 80% in the first nine months. The volume of devices sold on the market reached about 1.35 million units, which is a historical maximum over the past 12 months. In M.Video-Eldorado, the demand for the category in January-September 2022 increased 4 times. The company announced this on November 7, 2022.

The Russian market continues to grow in interest in smart speakers with voice assistants, which is facilitated by the stable situation with the assortment from Russian and Chinese manufacturers and its variability for different budgets and consumer needs.

Additional factors that influence positive dynamics are the popularization of the concept of a "smart" home with a speaker as the center of the ecosystem for managing its elements or smart technology. In January-September, the demand for goods for the smart home ecosystem in M.Video-Eldorado growth is comparable to the pace of columns - four times compared to 2021. The top brands Yandex, Aqara, Yeelight, goods - sockets, consoles, light bulbs.

The penetration of "smart" speakers into Russian households is also facilitated by the development of opportunities for the use and quality of voice assistants from Russian developers (new modes, functions, personification, etc.) and their penetration into everyday life through various gadgets.

We estimate that the volume of the Russian smart speaker market in money exceeded 11 billion rubles in three quarters, which is already close in sales to the "traditional" categories of household appliances, for example, irons, whose sales amounted to 12.5 billion rubles. The category of "smart" audio equipment has the potential for further growth, taking into account the evolution of devices and an audience that either only tries a new product for itself, or acquires it again - in another room, room, for a child, or as a gift. Until the end of 2022, sales can just support the upcoming holidays. In general, our assortment of "smart" speakers over the year has grown to 12 models from Russian developers and their vendor partners, not counting color variations and design solutions, said Sergey Sukhorukov, head of the Entertainment and Gadgets business unit of the M.Video-Eldorado Group.

In January-September 2022, Yandex's Light Station turned out to be the most massive "smart" audio style on the Russian market, among the most popular colors - purple and mint. At the same time, the average check for the entire category was adjusted to about 8 thousand rubles, due to the demand for top models, including the current novelty - the "Station" of the second generation. In general, the five most popular models among Russian consumers included columns released by Yandex: Light Station, Mini 2 Station, Mini Station, Max Station and Station 2. The most popular manufacturers were: Yandex (voice assistant - "Alice"), VK ("Marusya"), Xiaomi ("Marusya"), JBL ("Alice") and Sber ("Salute").

2021

Sales of speakers with voice assistants in Russia exceeded 1 million units

M.Video-Eldorado Group assessed the Russian smart speaker market in 2021 and shared the results on February 7, 2022. The demand for devices with a voice assistant reached about 1.3 million units, which is 2.6 times more than a year earlier (more than a third of devices were sold in December). The money volume of the market amounted to about 9 billion rubles. The average check is 7 thousand rubles. The most popular among Russians are devices with Alice from Yandex.

The growth in the popularity of "smart speakers" in Russia is facilitated by the frequent release of new products, the expansion of the range of more affordable models, the development of assistant capabilities, the trend for voice communication, the arrangement of houses in a pandemic and the growing popularity of the "smart home" (column - the center of the ecosystem). Another growing scenario of use is the control of "smart equipment" (from TVs and coffee makers, to vacuum cleaners and irons).

In M.Video-Eldorado, sales of speakers with a voice assistant at the end of 2021 increased by about four times compared to 2020. The top three best-selling models included devices from Yandex: Mini Station (with a clock), Light Station and Station. The most popular colors are black, purple and mint. As of February 2022, more than 20 speaker models are available to buyers of two networks. Buyers can choose the device based on their budget, needs and use cases, as well as preferences in voice assistants.

Alice sells devices both from Yandex (Station, Mini Station, Max Station, Light Station) and partner brands, for example, Link Portable and Link Music from. With JBL the voice assistant Marusya presented "" and Capsule"Mini Capsule" from, VK as well as the "partner" Mi Xiaomi Smart Speaker.

Leaders of the Russian market for smart devices with voice assistants

In 2021, 2.9 million smart speakers, displays and set-top boxes with built-in voice assistants were sold in Russia. In money, the market volume amounted to 14 billion rubles, as evidenced by the data of the company Just AI (develops voice assistants), which were released in December 2021.

According to experts, from 2018 to 2021. about 4 million smart devices were sold on the Russian market. In total, 70% fell on gadgets Yandex"" with an assistant, Alice"" 21% - on devices Sberbank"" with assistants Salute"" and 9% - on equipment VK with an assistant. Marusya"" Thus, Yandex and Sber jointly control more than 90% of the market.

In 2021, Sber sold 810 thousand smart devices, VK - about 250 thousand units, and the rest in the total market is Yandex.

According to the study, due to active competition, manufacturers have chosen a different promotion strategy. Sber is counting on the development of the ecosystem, Yandex is counting on Alice's capabilities to work in a browser, navigator, speakers and other devices and services. VK - on audience loyalty and integration of the assistant with VKontakte.

Just AI cited the results of a survey that showed that Russians still use voice assistants mainly on smartphones - this is how 80% of respondents answered in 2021. However, the share of smart speakers as the main surface in comparison with 2020 increased significantly - by 10% (from 6 to 16%). Unlike 2020, Russian users began to name new types of devices - TV and set-top boxes.

Over the year, the range of applications of assistants has also expanded significantly. From 7% to 18.7%, the category "music and cinema" increased. Moreover, the movie did not appear at all before and appeared in the answers precisely due to the entry into the market of consoles and smart screens.

80% of Russians surveyed constantly communicate with voice assistants

An international technology developer voice artificial intelligence Neuro.net has studied which areas of life Russians are ready to entrust to voice. to robots More than 1,000 residents of million-plus cities took part in the online study. RUSSIAN FEDERATION This became known on October 14, 2021. More. here

2020: M.Video-Eldorado: sales of speakers with voice assistant in Russia over the past year have grown sevenfold

On September 16, 2020, M.Video-Eldorado Group announced the results of the development of the Russian market for portable acoustics and smart speakers for seven months of 2020. In January-July, Russians purchased about 1.3 million devices worth 6.7 billion rubles, which is 31% more in pieces and 38% more in money compared to the same period in 2019. The demand for speakers with an artificial intelligence-based voice assistant is growing most actively - during the same period, sales of "smart" speakers increased 6.5 times in pieces and 5 times in money.

The popularity of portable wireless acoustics is facilitated by an increase in the quality of reproduced sound and protection of devices from shock and moisture (more than 70% of devices sold have water protection), the demand for additional light effects (+ 85% in unit sales year-on-year), as well as the distribution of music streaming services. The speakers are compact, easy to operate, have long battery life and are affordable. The average check is 5.2 thousand rubles. The leadership in sales is held by the JBL brand.

Another positive factor in the spread of acoustics was the growing popularity of speakers with a virtual assistant. The demand for them increased 6.5 times in quantitative terms and 5 times in monetary terms. As of September 2020, about 20 "smart" models are available on the Russian market, and their cost varies from 4 to 30 thousand rubles. In January-July 2020, the average check amounted to 5.7 thousand rubles, and the vast majority of sales fell on devices with a virtual assistant Alice from Yandex.

The first Yandex.Station device went on sale in July 2018. For September 2020, buyers have access to a line of two columns of Yandex's own production and a number of models from partner manufacturers - JBL Link Portable, LG XBOOM WK7Y, Elari SmartBeat and others. The best-selling device was Yandex.Station Mini, which went on sale on October 31, 2019.

At the end of April 2020, VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) presented its speaker system called "Capsule" and Marusya's voice assistant on the Russian market. The cost of the gadget at the start was 7,990 rubles. Less than 1% of the total number of smart speakers sold in Russia were Google Home with Google Assistant, Amazon Echo with Alexa and Apple HomePod with Siri, which are not officially delivered to Russia without Russian language support.

The voice-controlled acoustics market is in its infancy but is developing at a rapid pace. This is facilitated by the expansion of the range of more affordable devices, the emergence of assistants and the qualitative development of skills already operating on the market. There is also a positive effect of a steady increase in sales of music wireless speakers and the growing popularity of voice control among smartphone users - the habit includes voice commands and messages. This segment of audio equipment also has potential in terms of penetration of the smart home system, as well as expanding the range of household appliances connected to the Internet, "said Vadim Eremin, head of the Gadgets and Innovations department at M.Video-Eldorado Group.

Among the main features of voice-controlled speakers: music playback, searching for information on the Internet, dialogue support, reminders, alarm clock, weather forecast, traffic jam information, interactive services for children. Another growing use case is managing the smart home ecosystem and Wi-Fi connected household appliances, which saves time and simplifies its use. Using a voice command, the user can remotely turn on the washing machine and the robot vacuum cleaner, boil the kettle, start the video service on the TV, change the brightness or color of the lighting in the room.

2019: Experts predict threefold growth in the smart speaker market in Russia

In 2020, the volume of the smart speaker market in Russia will grow to $100 million. This forecast was announced by JUST AI experts, RBC writes in November. According to the results of 2019, according to their estimates, the same indicator will amount to $33 million. Thus, over the year, the volume of the Russian smart speaker market will more than triple.

So far, in Russia, mainly, "smart" speakers Yandex.Station"" are being implemented, as well as similar devices of partners Yandex"" with a voice assistant. Alice Voice Assistant"" In 2020, three more new players will join them, analysts say. According to the publication, smart speakers from, and will go on sale VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) Sberbank. Alibaba Device manufacturers with Alice will reduce market share from almost 100% to 60%.

Experts also predict that in 2020, smart speakers will become cheaper and more affordable for consumers. This will give additional impetus to the development of the industry. Analysts also expect that the first "smart" screens may appear on the Russian market next year. Such a device, in particular, brought Google to the market in 2018. It was called the Home Hub, it has a built-in voice assistant Google Assistant.

Smart Speaker Security

Main article: Security of smart speakers

Bormotograph

• Appearance. The murmotograph looks like a small suitcase, no more than 10-20 centimeters with a hole. On the body of the device there is a button for playing sound. Recording is carried out on a special disc under the cover of ^[4].
• Internal arrangement. How the device is arranged inside is not known for certain: the author of the project kept it secret.
• Magic properties. A magical object, a murmotograph, is most likely not and, probably, its drawing was clearly borrowed from muggles, copied from the unknown magic of a device called a "tape recorder." But the device was designed skillfully, one might even say, peculiar. So peculiar that it can also perform the functions of a vacuum cleaner. However, this property is extremely useful for anti-Magglov and "anti-Muscular" safety.
• Application. The murmotograph is used to secretly record the conversations of shorties and turn these speeches into literary works by processing. First, you need to say a few words into the hole on the side, then press the button, and what was said will immediately be recorded on the disk. Seconds later, the phrase can be heard in the recording. The device can also be used for remote recording, for example, in a large room. To do this, you need to put the device in a secluded place so that no one sees it, then slowly press the record button and calmly go about your business: the mumbler will record everything.
• A murmotograph in action. The benefits of this device are very doubtful due to the distrust of the shorties. Noticing that the murmotograph is left next to them, the shorties make the sounds of various animals so that nothing useful is guaranteed to be preserved in the recording.

• Inventor. Invented a murmotograph of a shorty from the Green City named Shurupchik. Work on this device took the mechanic 4 years. Moreover, for two and a half years, Shurupchik considered the project, and for another year and a half he built a vacuum cleaner into the device. Thus, it turns out that the murmotograph itself was assembled very quickly.
• Owner. The writer Smekailo owned this miracle of short technique. It was at his request that the murmotograph was made in a single copy. Despite the negative attitude towards the mutter of other shorties, Smekailo still does not lose hope of achieving success in its use, going to record from under the windows of houses.