IDC: China’s Bluetooth headset market shipments increased by 20.8% year-on-year

The latest "China Wireless Headset Market Monthly Tracking Report" released by International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that China's Bluetooth headset market shipments reached 55.4 million units in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 20.8%.

Among them, the true wireless earphone market shipped 35.08 million units, a year-on-year increase of 5.6%; the open-back earphone market grew strongly, with 11.84 million units shipped in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 303.6%.

IDC believes that in the first half of 2024, against the backdrop of double-digit year-on-year growth in China's overall Bluetooth headset market shipments, different forms of products will show large development differences.

The growth of true wireless headsets is still driven by price drops

The growth of true wireless headsets has slowed down in the first half of 2024. With the popularization of active noise reduction technology, product technical barriers have dropped significantly. At this stage, there is a lack of products that can allow consumers to clearly perceive the difference. New technologies emerge to drive markets.

The price war in the true wireless market is fierce, with leading manufacturers accelerating the deployment of entry-level products, and promotional policies tied to mobile phones to promote low-priced products. Small and medium-sized manufacturers focus on price and technology, resulting in serious product homogeneity; long battery life, deep noise reduction, and low price have become the mainstream of the market. At present, price drops are still an important factor driving the growth of the true wireless market. In the first half of 2024, the share of shipments in the price segment below 200 yuan (tax included) has reached 65%, an increase of 11 percentage points from the same period last year.

Open-back headphones continue to grow strongly

In terms of form, shipments of true wireless earhook products will increase by 1015% year-on-year in the first half of 2024, and ear clip products will increase by 522% year-on-year. The development of bone conduction, which has certain technical barriers and specific user groups, has entered a relatively stable stage, with shipments in the first half of 2024 increasing by 34% year-on-year.

Compared with the crazy expansion in 2023, the month-on-month growth rate of the open market in 2024 has slowed down. Among them, the share of head brands in the ear hook market has been diluted, and subsequent head brands will need to expand their influence by enriching production lines and expanding channels. With the entry of Huawei and Bose, which have the ability to charge a premium, the ear clip market has shown a trend of two levels of differentiation.

With the in-depth layout of leading manufacturers and the popularization of consumer awareness of this product, the open market will gradually transition from the window period to the reshuffle period, and leading brands need to reshape the market.

The scale of neck-worn headphones continues to decline

The shipment volume of neck-worn headphones in the first half of 2024 fell 24.1% year-on-year. In the long term, the scale of this category will continue to decline, mainly affected by two points. First, true wireless and open pairs It plays a certain substitution role. With the gradual popularization of the positioning function of true wireless earphones, the anti-loss advantage of neck-mounted earphones is further squeezed; secondly, in the high-price segment, headset manufacturers reduce investment in this category and only use other earphones. Complete the product line.

Headphone shipments are picking up

In the first half of 2024, headphone shipments will rise with the launch of new headphone brands. In addition to the launch of regular replacement models, international audio manufacturers have begun to lay out sub-flagship series. , the market above 1,000 yuan has become more segmented. Domestic audio manufacturers focus on entry-level products. The diverse needs of consumers are met.

IDC predicts that the overall market shipments of Bluetooth headsets will still maintain a slow growth trend in the future. Among them, true wireless, which has become the mainstream of the market, will still maintain its leading edge; the growth rate of open wireless will gradually stabilize after the window period in 2024; the neckwear market will gradually shrink; it is expected that the headwear market will rely on certain technical barriers and relatively stable consumers , demand for high-quality audio has grown slightly.

In the second half of 2024, China's Bluetooth headset market will also show changes in the following two trends:

Expand more use scenarios, and it is possible to equip multiple pairs of headphones

Open-type headphones focus on sports scenes, creating the first combination of comfort + safety . With the gradual subdivision of headphone usage scenarios such as meeting recording, sleep noise reduction, assisted hearing, and monitoring heart rate and body temperature, it has become possible for consumers to purchase multiple pairs of headphones to adapt to different scenarios.

In addition to broadening usage scenarios, manufacturers are adding other added values ​​to their products. Technological innovations include spatial audio, optimizing the sound field according to the ear canal structure, and extending active noise reduction technology to open models. In addition, functions such as earphone anti-lost positioning, personalized pop-up windows when opening the box, and earphone box screens are gradually being adopted by more low-priced products.

The channel layout is more diversified, and manufacturers have multiple operating methods in parallel

When product homogeneity is serious and price competition is fierce, the importance of channels becomes more prominent. Manufacturers are also accelerating the layout of emerging e-commerce channels to reach a deeper and more diverse customer base. Methods such as live streaming also have natural advantages in helping to create hit products. With the emergence of hit products, manufacturers that are accustomed to the tactics of sea of ​​machines should also adjust their product launch strategies according to the characteristics of the platform. Emerging e-commerce channels or the centralization of current models trend.

In addition, offline channels are still important. Compared with other audio manufacturers, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers have outstanding competitiveness in offline channels. Bundled promotion policies with mobile phones and other products can also continue to increase sales of headphone products. Of course, the bundled sales policy will also further test the manufacturers’ capabilities in trading and operational management.

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