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In 2023, five new domestic brands of Chinese–built laptops and tablets entered the Russian market at once - Ardor Gaming, Depo Holo, Nerpa, Zeon, Topdevice. This follows from customs statistics, which were shared with Vedomosti by a source in one of the domestic electronics manufacturers. The data was confirmed by an interlocutor close to one of the retailers. The import of devices under these brands began only in 2023, the total number of imported devices is small and does not exceed 30,000 per year.

New Russian brands continue to appear against the background of the departure of major international brands from unfriendly countries such as HP and Dell, and the volatility of the ruble exchange rate, which led to an increase in the price of devices imported by parallel imports, says Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily. Therefore, the segment has become attractive for companies that used to manufacture, for example, only household appliances or software development, he notes. In particular, the Topdevice website presents several models of televisions, vacuum cleaners and kettles. 

Ardor Gaming is a brand of a large Far Eastern DNS retailer, under which computer mice and gaming chairs were previously produced, for example, said Sergey Villanov, an analyst at the Fintech Lab accelerator. According to statistics, in 2023, slightly more than 13,000 laptops under this brand were imported into the country, but the Ardor Gaming lineup on the DNS website is represented by 16 models at once in the price range from 66,000 to 154,000 rubles, Vedomosti was convinced.

Under the Holo brand, Depo previously produced only servers and data storage systems. Currently, there is only one Depo Holo model on online sale - MC14P4 (retail price starts at 22,000 rubles). The Nerpa brand is the "daughter" of the Russian IT integrator OCS. Three device models are listed on the official website of the company.

At the same time, domestic brands that managed to enter the market in 2022, for example IRU or ICL, increased imports 5-6 times last year to 18,500 and 22,000 pcs. Accordingly, it follows from the statistics, and the total import of laptops from abroad reached 2 million devices.

But in 2023, a total of 40% fewer laptops were imported than a year earlier – only 2.3 million pcs, a representative of GS Group told Vedomosti. But sales turned out to be much higher: in total, 3.2 million laptops of all brands worth 198.2 billion rubles were sold in Russia last year, according to Fplus. This indicates an increase of 14.2% in units and 12.3% in money year on year.

It is almost impossible to estimate the share of new brands of Russian laptops that have appeared on the Russian market, because most brands have imported one or two batches and are selling them gradually, says Villanov. "Rhythmic deliveries are not very typical for beginners. Plus, all brands have a very different situation. For example, Depo has been operating in the Russian market for 20 years. Ardor Gaming is a new brand of computer peripherals. Those Russian brands who play for a long time and assemble equipment here for the existing customer base have a prospect in the market. Those who decided to bring another batch of "Chinese" and sell it under their own brand are unlikely," the expert believes.  

Volume of products of the biggest Russian brands assembled abroad and imported to Russia in 2023; Source: GS Group

Brand	Import in th. pieces in 2023
Digma	79,36
Echips	63,77
Irbis	41,30
ICL	21,95
IRU	18,59

Due to the departure of international brands and the instability of the exchange rate, laptops under Russian brands in the budget segment have become competitive, says Alexander Surkov, an independent expert, founder of the Surkov about Marketing Telegram channel. We have two categories of companies that, in theory, can offer Russian laptop brands, he explains. Firstly, these are companies with production capabilities, but without their own sales channels, such as Aquarius, Bayterg and Fplus. Secondly, these are large retail chains, which are backed by distributors who have accumulated expertise in the sale of imported equipment, such as Citylink, DNS, or marketplaces that offer their own products, such as Ozon, Wildberries, etc., the expert lists.

According to his estimates, the share of these new brands in 2023 is unlikely to exceed 1% of the laptop market, but in total, Russian brands could occupy up to 10%. At the same time, if government policy and localization requirements do not change, and support for Russian production continues, then Russian brands as a whole will be able to occupy 20% in 2024, Surkov believes. If the Russian market is further closed from imported products and localization requirements are strengthened, and, on the other hand, the purchase of Russian electronics is encouraged, for example, with tax incentives, then in the next five years, Russian laptop brands may occupy half of the market, he expects.

New brands are targeting different segments, says Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics. Ardor Gaming can clearly be used for gaming purposes, in other cases it is rather common goals as part of ready-made solutions. The main driver of the launch of new Russian brands was the desire of large manufacturers of related segments, such as server equipment, or large distribution companies to get away from direct price competition with foreign manufacturers and supply products under their own brand. This trend can be called long-term, Burmistrov points out. Most likely, in the medium term, the brands of retailers will grow, followed by STM marketplaces, he believes. Also, the sale of laptops under its own brand is quite a promising story for distributors and integrators who can supply laptops as part of a comprehensive solution along with other equipment, the expert believes.

The share of sales of laptops of domestic brands at M.video-Eldorado in the III and IV quarters of 2023 in quantitative terms exceeded 10%, tripling compared to the same period in 2022, as well as by 2 times compared to the first quarter of 2023, said a representative of the retailer. "Buyers are ready to consider and purchase Russian brands, choosing from price, quality of assembling and technical characteristics," said the representative of M.Video–Eldorado. He clarified that at the end of last year, the network signed a cooperation agreement with ICL and began selling their laptops under the OSiO brand, manufactured in the Innopolis SEZ.

Equipment of national importance

Laptops under Russian brands are mainly purchased by companies that, in the light of import substitution, needed to replace equipment with conditionally Russian, respectively, these are schools, officials, state-owned companies, etc., says Sergey Polovnikov, founder of Content Review. For example, as Vedomosti reported on January 22, 2024, Sber is already testing about 50,000 laptops and tablets under its own brand in branches, deliveries of which started in 2022.

According to Polovnikov, ordinary consumers, when choosing a laptop, are mainly guided by the price, then by the characteristics and only then by the brand. "There is a very strong gap between the recognition of these brands and customer retention," explains Polovnikov. "They have not earned popularity yet, but they take their price, supplies, maintainability, warranty period, and therefore they are purchased. Some companies work exclusively for some kind of b2g goals, i.e. for government projects that allow them to bring goods of Russian, but Chinese assembly," Kuskov believes.

In general, consumers are interested in such devices due to the availability of prices, guarantees, service support, and the convenience of changing the operating system, lists a representative of the analytical resource "Check Index" of the company "Platform OFD". The ability to install Russian or open-source software, primarily office applications, distinguishes such devices from foreign analogues, reduces the risks of working with licensed programs of foreign companies, Anyu points out, "Russian laptops will gradually become equipment for business. The government will legislatively stimulate such a transition, and retailers will not be able to ensure massive stable purchases and full–fledged maintenance of corporate laptops in conditions of parallel imports," the editor-in-chief believes Ferra.ru Evgeny Kharitonov.

Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2024/01/23/1016265-rossiiskie-kompanii-prodolzhayut-zapuskat-novie-brendi-noutbukov