India Loves Music, But Does It Love Premium Speakers? Sonos APAC Head Answers
A top executive of Sonos said the company's premium offerings are resonating with Indian customers.
Indians love celebrating life, and without music it makes no sense. Indian music and choices varies from North to South and East to West, with the country embracing diverse musical preferences. Yet, music unites us all.
But, does India love investing in premium speakers? Rennie Addabbo, General Manager – Asia Pacific region of US-based audio brand Sonos, told NDTV Profit that the company's premium offerings are "really resonating" with Indian customers. "I am fascinated by the evolution of the Indian market, and by the country's tech adoption level," he added.
According to a Goldman Sachs report, the country’s affluent consumers are expected to nearly double to 100 million, with India contributing 15% of the world’s luxury spending over the next 5–7 years.
The expanding customer appetite for premium home products is driving up demand for modern home audio equipment in developing nations such as Mexico, India, and South Africa, according to a report released by Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. in January 2025.
"The increased consumer preference for high-end items, owing to rising family disposable incomes, is driving demand for home audio equipment," the report said.
Indian consumers are spending big on home entertainment, investing in the full suite of home theatre products, so they can enjoy immersive cinematic sound at home, as per Addabbo.
"We are selling 2.5 times more of Arc—our premium sound bar in India, versus Beam—our medium-range sound bar," he shared.
"We are seeing amongst the highest number of purchases of multi devices than anywhere in the world, even higher than the US," he said. "The company focuses on software, and keeps providing software updates from time to time."
According to Addabbo, multi-room feature and ease of use are two differentiators that set Sonos apart from its competitors. "The ease of use, technology, sound quality and the feature of managing the sound bars by just a tap on our app is something that's resonating with Indian customers," he said.
On Aug. 22, the company launched Sonos Sound Suites—an immersive listening experience that will celebrate music through the power of sound. The inaugural event featured a genre-defying live performance by Indian sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee and jazz pianist-composer Merlyn D’Souza.
