Business headsets and headphones have been a crucial investment for team productivity for some time now. While there are still plenty of teams relying on the traditional desk phone, headsets offer comfort, hands-free functionality, and versatility.
As the workplace has continued to evolve, and companies have moved into new hybrid methods of working, the headset landscape has transformed. Increasingly, teams are looking for intelligent, comfortable headsets, capable of cancelling background noise in remote spaces, and enhancing human voices. Today, we’re going to be taking a closer look at some of the statistics defining the headset space as we move into 2022.
The Rise of UC Headsets
UC Headsets offer business users a convenient and engaging way to stay linked to their colleagues, manage calls with clients and more. Responding to increasing demands in the communication landscape, UC headset manufacturers have begun enhancing headsets with everything from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, to smart speaker access.
Increasingly, headset vendors are also investing more effort into making a single set of headphones into a more appealing solution for all user needs. The average employee uses around 2.3 devices for work each day, and around a quarter use more than 6 devices. The fewer pieces of hardware an employee needs to jump between, the more productive they become.
Let’s take a closer look at the UC headset market:
- The global market for UC headsets was valued at around $1181.5 million in 2020 and is set to reach a value of $3654.4 million by the end of 2027, demonstrating a growth period of around 11.7% between 2022 and 2027. – Industry Research.
- 39% of managers in IT report deploying employee headsets today, and UC headset sales often represent up to 26.5% of the total Contact Center and Office headset revenue. These marketplaces are expected to grow at a rate of 23.1% and 20.4% respectively in the next few years – Logitech.
- Data Bridge market research suggests business headsets will see a market growth of around 11.95% from 2020 to 2027. Notably, this report also suggests there’s a growing demand for wireless headsets, perhaps to help improve the mobility of flexible teams. – Data Bridge Market Research.
- While demand for high-quality headsets is growing in all parts of the world, the biggest consumers right now are in North America, Europe, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. – Industry Research.
- Grandview Research notes that technological advancement such as the emergency of notch-less smartphones are going to fuel the growth of wireless earphones in the business landscape. The rising popularity of wireless headphones has been fuelled by trends in the consumer market – Grandview Research.
- Businesses today have embraced headsets as part of a comprehensive solution for video and web conferencing. Around 44% of consumers use standalone audio conferencing, while around 47% access comprehensive video or web conferencing – Logitech.
- The global earphones and headphones market is expected to grow at a rate of 20.3% from 2020 to 2027, with a number of tech tends leading the way. Particularly, advanced features like near-field communication technology and active noise cancellation have grown particularly important, particularly in the business market. –Grandview Research.
A Rising Demand for Convenient Business Headsets
Headsets have long been a popular investment for many business landscapes, even in the age of open office spaces and traditional contact centres. Since the pandemic hit, however, the demand for mobility in headset devices has increased significantly. Around 84% IT managers now agree mobility is a crucial consideration for endpoint investments.
- Wireless earbuds and lightweight headsets are growing increasingly popular. Grandview Research found wireless headsets dominated the market in 2019 with 76.2% of the market share. The analysts believe focus on mobile and wireless devices will continue to grow moving into 2022 and beyond –Grandview Research.
- The connections we use to link headphones to other devices is evolving too. 57% of today’s employees use Bluetooth, while 20% use USB-A. Only 11% use DECT, 7% use 3.5mm jacks, and 5% use USB-C. Source: Cisco Business Headsets
- The average US citizen owns multiple sets of headphones. Statista found 37% of respondents owned two pairs of headsets. Around 3% of people said they owned 5 pairs of headphones or more. – Aftershokz.
- Sales of AR and VR headsets are increasing. By 2023, Statista says that both technologies will sell over 26 million units. This will lead to a revolution both in the consumer and business landscape. Source: Statista.
- “Hearable” devices, which include wearable devices with additional on-device functions, like access to smart assistants, will make up 50% of the user base by 2024. There may also be a growing market for headsets which can respond to hearing disabilities, and improve the clarity of sound for users – Juniper Research.
- The market for smart headphones, which include access to smart assistants, intelligent noise cancellation, high-definition sound format, and water resistance are expected to reach a value of $41 million by 2027, which would represent a huge CAGR of around 72%! – Markets Research Future
- Top impacting factors driving the demand for smarter headphones and headsets in the business landscape include the increasing penetration of infotainment devices, consumers’ increasing needs for convenience, and rapid advancements in technology – Allied Market Research
- Around 37% of businesses think AR/VR immersive technologies will become mainstream in business landscapes within the next 2-5 years. 17% think it will take 5-8 years, and 15% believe it will happen within 2 years. – Perkins Coie
