sandalwood

Summary: The Chinese market for open-ear headphones has grown rapidly, with sales on domestic e-commerce platforms doubling year-on-year by October 2024. Sales of ear-hook/ear-clip products have significantly increased. Although the overseas market is still emerging, Chinese brands have helped boost penetration in regions like Southeast Asia. As more international brands enter and Chinese brands expand globally, the open-ear headphone market may see new growth opportunities.

In the digital age, headphones, as one of the core categories of consumer electronics, have deeply integrated into daily life.

In recent years, the Chinese market has stood out in the open-ear headphone sector, accelerating growth and establishing a leading position globally. As consumer demand for audio experiences expands from simple listening to diverse usage scenarios, product combinations tailored to different environments and preferences have become increasingly important.

With precise insights into local consumer needs and rapid response, China has gained a global advantage in open-ear headphone innovation and large-scale promotion. Meanwhile, although other overseas markets have started relatively late, they are quickly catching up with this trend, showing potential for growth and competitive momentum.

The intrinsic logic behind the doubling growth of open-ear headphones

According to Sandalwood's market monitoring data for China's e-commerce sector, by October 2024, the open-ear headphone market on domestic e-commerce platforms has seen rapid growth, with total sales reaching 7.5 billion RMB, doubling compared to the previous year. Among these, ear-hook/ear-clip products have shown powerful performance, with their sales share rising from 79% last year to 88% this year, indicating a significant shift in market preference.

From a product pricing perspective, as more brands enter the competition and early players like Shokz continue to expand their product lineups, the penetration rate of open-ear headphones across various price ranges has significantly increased.

In the market segment below 1,500 RMB, the penetration rate of open-ear headphones has surpassed 30%. Meanwhile, the high-end market is also showing rapid growth, with the sales share of products priced above 1,500 RMB rising from 1% in Q1 2023 to 16% in Q3 2024. This trend highlights that open-ear headphones are gradually covering all price segments and achieving comprehensive growth driven by the diversification of consumer use cases.

5% Starting Point, Global Future:
Exploring the Overseas Market Potential of Open-Ear Headphones

Compared to the rapid growth in China's open-ear headphone market, the overseas market is still in its early stages of development.

Currently, in Southeast Asian e-commerce platforms, the penetration rate of true wireless open-ear headphones driven by Chinese brands has not yet surpassed 5%, which is equivalent to the level of China's e-commerce market in 2021. The penetration rate in the Latin American market is even lower. However, despite this, the overseas open-ear headphone market continues to experience significant month-on-month growth, and the number of participating brands is steadily increasing.

Open-ear headphones originated from sports applications, and sports culture is more widespread in overseas markets. This suggests that as more international consumer electronics brands gradually enter the open-ear headphone sector and as the influence of Chinese open-ear headphone brands increases globally, the penetration rate on overseas e-commerce platforms is expected to steadily rise, laying the foundation for the further expansion of the market landscape.

China’s leadership in the open-ear headphone sector has not only reshaped the listening experience for domestic consumers but also set a benchmark for innovation and development in the global market. As emerging concepts like AI assistants and real-time translation headphones continue to gain traction, consumers' usage time and frequency of headphones are expected to rise, further enhancing the unique advantages of open-ear headphones. In response to this new opportunity, the global market potential for open-ear headphones is gradually being unlocked. Chinese brands, through continuous technological innovation and product optimization, will continue to play a leading role on the international stage, accelerating the global expansion and evolution of the open-ear headphone industry.