Blended Learning and Hybrid Work Power the Global Digital Collaboration Boards Market

After experiencing significant demand shocks on account of COVID-19 in H1 2020, the DCB market made significant progress in H2 2020, registering annual shipments of 1.8 million units with a YoY growth of 9 percent, primarily driven by the revival of demand in the education sector. Despite the slowdown, the pandemic paved the way for the tremendous technology shifts to augment the digital learning experience across schools and colleges. Hybrid and blended learning practices, supported by DCBs as well as cloud-based lesson delivery and video conferencing collaboration platforms, have immensely helped educators and students to create a coherent learning community and address the challenges associated with the early remote learning experiences. Additionally, the blended learning practices have ensured safety, adherence to the changing intermittent lockdown protocols, and enhanced reach. These factors contributed to the surge in DCB sales in H2 2020. Education is expected to remain strong in the forecast period as several school districts are committed to rolling out hybrid learning strategies to accommodate a variety of students’ needs and corroborating learning beyond classrooms.

In contrast to the accelerated DCB demand in education, there was a slowdown in the adoption of DCBs in meeting rooms as the businesses primarily focused on honing their video device strategy for remote working. The mass video proliferation meant only a limited number of businesses adopted DCBs to support hybrid work and return-to-work initiatives. However, the need for multimedia collaboration features is increasingly gaining consideration among businesses. This would bode well for the growth of corporate-focused DCBs in the forecast period.

This study captures the market dynamics of the digital collaboration boards (DCB) market, including the changing trends, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the adoption of different types of DCBs as well as the forecast of endpoint revenue and unit shipments until 2026. The trends and forecasts revolve around digital whiteboard and all-in-one (AIO) collaboration board sub-segments. Further, the study identifies the growth opportunities for vendors in the DCB market.

Author: Vaishno Devi Srinivasan