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Sales of smart light bulbs in 2023 more than doubled in monetary terms – by 103%, sales of robot vacuum cleaners increased by 19%, according to statistics from the OFD Platform and Marvel Distribution. The entire category of smart home devices of the united M.video-Eldorado network grew by 80%, and in monetary terms of goods – by only 39%, it follows from the data of the OFD Platform. Absolute sales figures are not provided.

But the growth in the sale of smart devices, both in pieces and in money, is significantly higher than price fluctuations for them. In some cases, the devices became cheaper: according to the analytical resource "Check Index" of the OFD Platform, the average check for smart lamps and lamps in 2023 decreased by 7% and amounted to 955 rubles, for smart switches and sockets – by 3% to 1,115 rubles and 980 rubles, respectively. The average receipt for robot vacuum cleaners for the year increased by 10% to 17,580 rubles, and smart home systems - by 9% to 12,340 rubles.

According to M.video-Eldorado, in general, in 2023, the unit sales volume of robot vacuum cleaners in Russia increased by 5% to more than 1.8 million units. A representative of Marvel Distribution calls similar figures: in 2023, 1.85 million devices worth 35.3 billion rubles were sold, which is 19% higher in monetary terms and 5% more in pieces than in 2022. In the M.video-Eldorado networks, robots account for every fifth vacuum cleaner sold.

In general, smart vacuum cleaners account for about 40% of the Russian market in monetary terms, Pavel Vyukov, head of the Marvel Distribution Smart Home department, estimated. Among the most popular brands of M.video-Eldorado, its representative named Dreame, Xiaomi and Tefal. The main event in the robot vacuum cleaner market in Russia is the explosive growth of Dreame, which accounted for more than 20% of the robot vacuum cleaner market in money by the end of the year, Vyukov added.

Sales peaked in the fourth quarter, only in December Russians purchased more than a quarter of the annual volume, smart devices enjoyed increased popularity during the period of large sales and on the eve of the New Year holidays, said a representative of M.video-Eldorado. Before the New Year, sales of smart robot vacuum cleaners were actively growing, says Vyukov. For example, if at the end of September 2023, approximately 33,000–34,000 devices were sold per week, then from December 18 to December 24, 2023, almost twice as many were sold - 62,000 units. But M.video-Eldorado classifies robot vacuum cleaners into the category of smart household appliances, which in statistics is presented separately from devices for organizing a smart home: light bulbs, sensors, sockets, cameras, etc., said a representative of the retailer.

According to a Wildberries representative, sales of smart home systems on the marketplace increased by 168% in units and by 130% in value in 2023. "We are seeing a trend towards the unification and standardization of smart home products," the source says. – For example, a single Matter protocol has appeared, which all major manufacturers have announced their support for. Thus, the buyer ceases to be tied to the ecosystem of a single manufacturer brand and can easily manage devices and scenarios in an application convenient for him, for example SmartThings, Google Home, Smart Home from Yandex, etc."

Sales of robot vacuum cleaners increased in 2023 in terms of sales in money due to the redistribution of demand for more technological models with cleaning stations and connection to the water supply, said Oleg Fomenko, director of the unified procurement department of Merlion and Citylink. The representative of Citylink refused to disclose the absolute figures.

The most actively growing products in the smart home segment compared to the previous year were: interactive LED strip, security sensors, light bulbs, smart home control devices, as well as sockets, listed the representative of M.video-Eldorado. The elements individually or in combination can improve the safety of the premises and reduce various household risks, simplify everyday tasks and equipment management, save time and, for example, reduce the cost of utilities, explains Alexey Rogozin, head of the Entertainment and Gadgets department in the M.video-Eldorado group.

With the digitalization of consumer tasks at home, there are more and more smart gadgets in everyday use, says Alexey Barov, CEO of the Platform OFD company. "Users have already formed a positive experience of using robot vacuum cleaners, smart speakers and smart home systems, which so far make up the top sales in terms of turnover," he notes. In addition, they are increasingly buying adjacent devices that complement the infrastructure, easy to connect and use – lamps and lamps that are controlled by voice through speakers, Bar continues. He also stressed that the volume of goods containing the words AI, AI in the name is becoming more and more and has grown 4-5 times over the year.

"Most of the small household appliances and gadgets come from China, friendly countries and are sold in the online channel, thereby expanding the base of affordable offers, which also affects the reduction of the average amount of spending by the buyer on such goods," says a representative of the OFD Platform.

INDICATORS OF SALES VOLUME OF HOUSEHOLD ELECTRONICS IN RUSSIA in 2023 

Group of the products	Average purchase receipt in 2023 in rubles	Change of the average  purchase receipt in 2023 to 2022 in %	Change of the number of  purchases in 2023 to  2022 , in %	Change of  turnover in  2023 to     2022 in %
Smart household  appliances and electronics	4950	11	29	39
Smart columns ( loudspeakers)	7310	8	81	88
Smart vacuum cleaners ( robots)	17580	10	21	30
Smart lamps	955	-7	110	103
Smart Sockets	980	-3	52	49
Smart switchers	1115	-3	34	31
Smart home	12340	9	19	28

The growth in demand for smart home devices is associated with an increase in the number of companies offering this category of equipment – operators and solution providers, says Denis Kuskov, CEO of Telecom Daily. In addition, the decrease in the average selling price of the device (ASP – average selling price) for most categories of smart devices was influenced, adds Alexey Pyshkin, director of the research and development department of NotAnotherOne. "This is also evidenced by estimates of market growth – retail chains declare rates for various categories in units of 100-300%, in money this growth is translated into only 30-40%," Pyshkin clarifies.

In addition, after the official withdrawal of a number of European and American brands from the Russian market, a large number of Russian retailers' own trademarks appeared, and new Chinese players came, he adds. Traditional market participants (for example, iRobot) offer vacuum cleaners in the medium-high price segment (from $ 400), but users began to prefer Chinese brands (umbrella brands Xiaomi, Midea, Haier, Ecovacs, etc.) with a price tag of $150 and vacuum cleaners under Russian brands (Redmond, etc.), Pyshkin lists.

"When compared with the European and North American markets, the penetration rate of smart home devices in Russia is still quite low and the growth rate will continue while maintaining a favorable economic situation," the expert concluded.

Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2024/01/16/1015199-riteileri-povisili-dohodi-ot-prodazhi-umnih-bitovih-gadzhetov?utm_campaign=newspaper_16_1_2024&utm_medium=email&utm_source=vedomosti