Research firm forecasts industry trends for connected audio devices in 2016

New Parks Associates research shows 15% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy wireless speakers over the next 12 months, while 18% plan to buy earbuds and 16% plan to buy headphones.

“The smartphone has evolved into the primary interface for the connected home, and it is helping to create new app use cases for services such as Pandora and Spotify, which in turn drive interest in new connected audio devices,” said Brad Russell, Research Analyst, Parks Associates. “Nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households have bought headphones as a separate purchase, and the growth of premium brands, including Beats, Bose, Sony, and Sennheiser, shows consumers are interested in high-quality audio devices.”

Parks Associates’ industry report Digital Audio for the Connected Consumer notes that 22% of U.S. broadband households currently own wireless speakers, reflective of consumer desire for the wireless mobile experience in the home. The firm’s 360 View: Mobility and App Economy reports that more than one-third of U.S. broadband households use their smartphones to stream music to a speaker or stereo system, with consumers ages 25-34 as the largest age group who stream music from smartphones to speakers.

“At the beginning of 2015, nearly 60% of U.S. broadband households that own speakers had a wireless speaker, and 42% of households that own headphones had a wireless pair of headphones,” Russell said. “We are seeing a willingness among consumers to spend on connected audio equipment in order to enhance the audio experience, add a wireless component to the audio setup in the home, and adopt a brand with the reputation for fashionable accessories and high-quality sound.”

Previously released audio research from Parks Associates:

• 66% of U.S. broadband households use a streaming audio service.
• Among all U.S. broadband households, 40% use a free service to stream audio, and 26% subscribe to a paid streaming audio service.
• Amazon Prime Music is the top subscription music service among U.S. broadband households (10%), followed by Pandora One (6%), and Spotify Premium (4%).

360 View: Mobility and App Economy tracks consumers’ adoption and usage of mobile devices, services, and apps. This consumer study also analyzes consumer use of mobile data and mobile apps and explores how consumer access to and usage of mobile data will evolve in 2016 and beyond.

Digital Audio for the Connected Consumer profiles the leading streaming music services, comparing features, pricing, and strengths and weaknesses of Internet radio services and paid streaming audio services. The report also looks at growth trends and the future outlook for key audio devices, including headphones, soundbars, speakers, and streaming sound systems.

Both research deliverables are available for purchase. For more information, visit www.parksassociates.com. To schedule an interview with Brad Russell, or to request specific connected audio data, contact Holly Sprague at [email protected], 720.987.6614.

About Parks Associates: Parks Associates, a woman-founded and certified business, is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates provides business intelligence and research services through its proprietary methodologies developed over decades, including quarterly surveys of 10,000 internet households.

The company's expertise crosses many industries: home security and smart home, streaming video, broadband and pay-TV services, digital media and platforms, gaming, Wi-Fi and home networks, connected health, support, consumer electronics, home control systems, energy management, and tech solutions for the multi-dwelling (MDU), small-to-medium business (SMB), and commercial building markets.

Each year, Parks Associates brings thousands of leaders together for its webinars and annual events. The firm hosts the annual executive research and strategy conferences CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. https://www.parksassociates.com
 

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