Sonosis a fascinating company.
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Rather, the biggest threat to Sonos are the tech giants making voice-activated speakers.
In 2021 alone, there were186 million smart speakers shipped.
Their growth has been spectacular, with this figure sitting at 6.5 million in 2016.
Why are these figures important?
Currently, you might pick up an Amazon Echo or Google Nest Audio for around $100.
Sonos, on the other hand, has been a historically premium brand.
Many of its mid-range devicesshipped for around $400.
If it stuck to this strategy, the company was bound to lose market position.
For some context, the companys other soundbars the Beamandthe Arc retail for $449 and $899 respectively.
This isnt by chance.
Nor is it a one-off decision to try and ship more products.
The bookshelf version of this retailed for $99 half the price of the companys previous cheapest speaker.
Shortly after this, the company also released the One SL.
Again, at $179, this was the lowest priced speaker Sonos made itself.
In other words, the Roam acts as an easy entry point into Sonos funnel.
you might buy it without having to commit to a whole system.
But if you do end up liking it?
Well, its not a huge leap to decide to populate your home with more Sonos gear.
I mean, whywouldntyou buy something that complements a speaker you already own?
This strategy must be paying off for Sonos.
Sonos is dangling a carrot in front of people and hoping they get the taste for it.
This means the Ray offers people a high-quality, affordable option that can operate as a standalone unit.
But Sonos has more tricks up its sleeve.
Say a user likes the Ray.
They enjoy the richer sound theyre getting in comparison to their TV and they want even more.
More than that though, Sonos is using its experience in creating audio hardware to outpace its rivals.
Sonos, being nimbler and in a more niche market,canmake these projects reality.
With this move, the company has decoupled itself from Alexa and Google Home.
With the release of its latest products, Sonos has reinforced just how capable it is in thinking long-term.
