Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Get in touch with us nowTrue Wireless on the rise
Headphones and earphones are among the most common audio and sound equipment types globally. The headphone market volume increased in recent years, reaching around one billion units in 2022 and yet decreasing from the previous year. Shipments of True Wireless stereo (TWS) headsets also increased in the past years, in part sparked by the proliferation of Apple’s AirPod devices. New TWS offerings from competing manufacturers such as Sony and Bose are also boosting the market, along with more affordable options made available from companies including Xiaomi and Jabra.Google and Amazon dominate the smart speaker market
Smart speakers – a speaker with an integrated voice-activated assistant - have increased in popularity in recent years, and seen corresponding revenue growth. Amazon shipped more units than any other smart speaker vendor in 2022, followed by Google. These two giants lead the smart speaker market, ahead of the five million sold by their nearest rival Apple. Nowadays, smart speakers provide many functionalities, performing a wide range of activities, from playing music to organizing a shopping list.The United States as a profitable audio market
The U.S. is a profitable market for the audio and sound equipment industry, with speakers, earbuds, microphones, and mixers being popular sound devices among American consumers. For instance, the smart speaker installed base in the country was expected to be around 95 million units in 2022, with Amazon Echo (Alexa) being the most-owned smart speaker brand in the same year. By contrast, as experts suggest, due to low supply and increasing prices, sales of DJ mixers decreased in recent years, but saw a jump in 2021, as did power amplifiers sold in the country.
