Premium US Headphone Market Surpasses $1 Billion in 2013, According to NPD
Port Washington, New York (PRWEB) March 04, 2014 -- The premium U.S. headphone market ($100+) continued to grow throughout 2013, surpassing $1 billion- an increase of 21 percent from 2012, according to The NPD Group’s Retail Tracking Service. Overall, the stereo headphone market increased 11 percent to $2.3 billion in 2013.
Headphones with features geared for fitness and exercise helped to grow the market. 2013 was marked by significant growth of Bluetooth and water resistant headphones which increased 93 percent and 51 percent in units, respectively, according to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service. Additionally, in-ear style headphones, which are best suited for exercise, comprised 51 percent of total unit sales in 2013. Not surprisingly, exercise was cited as the number one use of headphones among consumers for the third year in a row, according to NPD’s Headphones Ownership and Application report.
“Nearly two-thirds of headphone users exercise while using their headphones and that number increases to three-quarters when we look at the 18-34 year old segment,” said Ben Arnold, executive director, industry analyst at NPD. “From the growing digital fitness device market to ruggedized smartphones and sport headphones, fitness and exercise use-cases are a growing opportunity throughout the consumer electronics market.”
Growing ownership of mobile devices is also providing a lift to headphone sales. According to the study, more than half (55 percent) of headphone owners are connecting to a smartphone up from just 36 percent in 2012. Additionally, headphone connections to tablets have grown, increasing from 15 percent of users in 2012 to 35 percent. Premium headphone owners connect to mobile devices at an even higher rate. Sixty-one percent of premium headphones were connected to a smartphone and 49 percent to a tablet. In contrast, the number of consumers connecting their headphones to an MP3 player has declined, falling from 65 percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2013.
“Headphone connections to smartphones and tablets continue to increase as these devices figure more prominently as consumption devices” said Arnold. “The headphone market is experiencing a renaissance because of the mobile industry and consumers’ increased use of video, audio and apps on portable devices. In a new segment like fitness, sales are growing quickly, but there is still plenty of room for new brands and designs to enter.”
Methodology
A U.S. representative sample of 2,900 adults and teens were surveyed from NPD’s online panel in Q4 2013.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. For more information, visit http://www.npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdtech and @npdgroup.
Sarah Bogaty, The NPD Group, http://www.npd.com, 516-625-2357, [email protected]
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