Growth Opportunities in the Global Professional Headsets Market, Forecast to 2030

Revenue forecast

The revenue estimate for the base year 2023 is $1.82 billion, with a CAGR of 6.8% for the study period 2023–2030

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Professional Headsets Market Industry

Transformative Mega Trends

Why

• The Covid-19 pandemic reshaped how people work, giving rise to widespread remote work and uncertainties about when and what proportion of employees will return to the offices.
• Amid equity and inclusion trends in the hybrid work era, companies are also becoming more conscious of the need for sustainability and are looking to consume products that are recyclable and made from recycled products.

Frost Perspective

• It is important to offer headsets that are optimized for remote-location usage, but also for hybrid workers. Consequently, it is important to tailor headsets for new types of personas that have emerged since the pandemic.
• Offer headsets made from recycled materials and include a sustainability angle in product propositions such as repairable headsets, responsible disposing/recycling of old headsets, minimal product packaging, and other eco-friendly initiatives.

Competitive Intensity

Why

• The total headsets revenue grew by 53.5% in 2020 over 2019. This has encouraged several PC/computer vendors and PC accessories vendors to enter the headsets market.
• Additionally, Tier-II vendors have upped their ante by offering DECT and Bluetooth headsets, thus challenging Tier-I players in the cordless headsets market.

Frost Perspective

• Businesses have more headset options available to them than ever before, particularly in the low end of the market where there are several new vendors. Also, some vendors are aggressively targeting SMB segments, offering free samples to entice them to buy headsets.
• Headset vendors need to continuously enhance their products by adding new features to differentiate from the competition. They should also consider launching entry-level headsets better fit for the SMB segment.

Disruptive Technologies

Why

• The usage of software communications and collaboration services continues to grow year after year, displacing old technology and reshaping devices and their connectivity capabilities.
• Increasing dominance of Microsoft Teams in the enterprise and SMB segments is driving an evolution in communications solutions’ deployment and consumption models.

Frost Perspective

• Microsoft Teams certification has become a key criterion in headset purchase decision. As such, it is essential to offer headsets certified for Teams and other leading collaboration platforms.
• Offer headsets that integrate features offered by software communications platforms and deliver tangibly superior performance compared to non-certified devices.

Scope of Analysis

• This research service analyzes the global professional headset market.
• Professional headsets include corded and cordless headsets that are used in conjunction with enterprise communications endpoints integrated with the rest of the enterprise communications infrastructure (premises-based or hosted/cloud-based call control and conferencing systems).
• Shipments are based on units of headset tops.
• Revenue includes headsets plus related infrastructure such as amplifiers, direct connect cables, digital adapters, charging base stations, lifters, headset software and other headset accessories.
• Revenue represents manufacturers’ sales of professional headsets to service providers, distributors, retailers, resellers, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners, and other distribution channels, as well as direct sales to enterprise customers.
• Primary and secondary information, in conjunction with internal information databases, and hands-on product usage has been used to analyze the market and provide the observations and conclusions in this study.
• Any previous-year(s) market-size and market-share estimates, if revised, are updated in this study.

This analysis covers the following headset categories:

• Corded registered jack (RJ) professional headsets for desk phones, also known as corded RJ headsets. These may also be quick-disconnect (QD) headsets with RJ connectors.
• Corded PC USB and unified communications and collaboration (UCC) professional headsets for PC-based software communications, also known as corded PC USB and UCC. These may also be QD headsets with USB connectors.
• Single-, dual-, or triple-connectivity digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) professional headsets for desk phones, PC-based software communications, and/or mobile communications. Variants include:
  • DECT RJ, connecting only to desktop phones;
  • DECT PC, connecting only to PCs;
  • DECT RJ + PC, offering dual connectivity to desktop phones and PCs; and
  • DECT RJ + PC + mobile, offering triple connectivity to desktop phones, PCs, and mobile phones.
• Frost & Sullivan also groups DECT PC headsets, DECT RJ + PC headsets, and DECT RJ + PC + mobile headsets into a single category called DECT PC USB and UCC headsets to differentiate products that can connect to PC communications versus DECT RJ devices.
• Bluetooth professional headsets for mobile communications and PC-based software communications via a USB dongle, also known as corded Bluetooth PC USB and UCC.

Segmentation

Frost & Sullivan classifies the professional headset market in three different ways

• PC USB and UCC headsets versus RJ headsets;
• cordless headsets versus corded headsets; and
• headsets used in contact centers versus headsets used in offices.

These three distinct classifications should not be considered additive (Classification 1 + Classification 2 + Classification 3 does not equal the total size of the market). However, categories inside each classification do add up to the total professional headset market size (e.g., cordless headsets + corded headsets equals total market size).

Unit shipment and revenue forecasts are provided for each of these six different headset categories, in addition to a total professional headset unit shipment and revenue forecast.

In addition to the forecast data, this study also provides specific 2022 and 2023 market sizing data per professional headset sub-category; wearing style; global regions; and active noise-cancelling capabilities; and per professional headset vendor (vendor revenue market shares).

Segmentation (continued)

Corded Headsets

• Corded headsets are the most common type of professional headsets. They connect to business phones through amplifiers or Direct Connect Quick Disconnect (bottom) cables. Typically, the Direct Connect cable plugs into either a handset port (RJ9/RJ10/RJ22), a dedicated modular headset port or a 2.5 mm headset jack located on the side of the endpoint. USB corded headsets (PC USB corded headsets), on the other hand, connect to PCs and certain types of Internet Protocol (IP) desktop phones for IP communications. The study does not include general consumer-grade headsets with 3.5 mm headset jacks.

Cordless Headsets (Wireless)

• Certain cordless headsets connect to a business phone or a PC via a base station that connects through either a handset port, a modular headset port, or a USB port in the PC or desktop phone (PC USB cordless headsets). Using either Bluetooth wireless or DECT radio technology, the headset can transmit up to a 300-foot range (between base station and headset). Other cordless headsets connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth and to a PC via a USB dongle.

Professional Headsets in the Contact Center Space

Because most professional headset vendors do not have clear visibility into how much of their total professional headset shipments and revenues are generated by the contact center (CC) space, Frost & Sullivan estimates this segment based on the following formula:

• All corded RJ headset shipments and revenues + all cordless RJ headset shipments and revenues + all customer service-centric branded corded products produced by professional headset vendors (e.g., Poly’s SupraPlus/EncorePro lines and Jabra’s Biz/Engage line) + all accessories deployed in the contact center space (adapters, cables, USB enablers, etc.)

• While unit shipments depict headset tops, revenues include tops plus all related headset infrastructure (e.g., amplifiers, direct connect cables, digital adapters, charging base stations, lifters, headset software and other headset accessories).

Professional Headsets in the Office Space

Frost & Sullivan estimates professional headset shipments and revenues in the office space by including:

• All office-centric branded PC USB and UCC corded products produced by professional headset vendors (e.g., Poly’s Blackwire line and Jabra’s Evolve line) + all cordless PC USB and UCC professional headsets.

PC USB and UCC Headsets

• In this analysis, Frost & Sullivan discusses UCC headsets (headsets certified to work with different UCC applications) and professional PC USB headsets together in a category called “Professional PC USB and UCC headsets” for the following reasons:

  • Most professional PC USB headsets work with the majority of online voice services.
  • Most professional PC USB headsets reported by Frost & Sullivan have in-line/on-headset controls for volume, mute, and answer/end calls.
  • Many of the reported PC USB headsets are certified to work with major UCC vendor applications.
  • Professional headset vendors lack concrete visibility whether a headset is being deployed in an enterprise UCC environment or with any other type of online voice service not necessarily connected with the business call-control system.
• Cordless Bluetooth PC USB and UCC headsets use Bluetooth to connect to laptops/desktops. These headsets come in several form factors with the on-ear with headband type of headset being the most popular. Other form factors include over-the-ear with headband, where the ear is completely covered by headset cups; in-ear mono without headband (single-ear buds worn on one ear, with another ear open); and finally, the neckband form factors (where the band sits on neck with wires from the neckband connecting to the earbuds that are worn in both the ears).
• Sales of consumer PC USB headsets and 3.5 mm headsets are excluded from the study, except in the case of Logitech whereby the vendor includes consumer PC USB and 3.5 mm headset sales designed exclusively for work purposes.
• The study provides a forecast of PC USB and UCC headsets against RJ headsets or headsets (both corded and cordless) that only connect to desktop phones.

Competitive Environment

Key Competitors

• ADADASOUND
• BEIEN
• Cisco
• Dasan Electron
• DELL
• EPOS
• GN Audio
• HP | Poly
• JPL Telecom
• Lenovo
• Logitech
• Microsoft
• OROSOUND
• Yealink
• Chameleon Headsets
• Cyber Acoustics
• Headsets.com
• Koss Corporation
• Mpow
• Smith Corona
• Starkey Headsets
• VTech
• Agent
• Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise
• Axtel
• Connected Essentials
• Dacomex
• freeVoice
• OneDirect
• Snom
• Syntech
• Vseven
• ADDCOM
• CALLTEL
• Hion
• Nagatsuka
• Telekonektors
• VBeT Electronics
• Felitron
• PhoneTech
• Top Use
• Zox Telecom