全球高端耳机制胜之道2026

Global Headphones InsightsJuly 2026 ©2026Nielsen Consumer LLC. All Rights Reserved. AI momentum offsets energy shock, but inflation risks rise Global GDP growth rateremains resilient but subduedThe forecast has beenrevised down-0.1 pp in July to3.0% for 2026 and +0.2 pp to 3.4% for 2027 The world economy is continuing to expand below pre-pandemic norms amid ongoing trade, geopolitical andpolicy uncertainty IMF revises inflation expectationsto 4.7%, up +0.3 ppsinceApril 2026, driven by rising energy prices. This is adisruptionin the gradual disinflation trajectory from 2022. Consumer confidenceConsumer confidence trends have divergedsince 2023: sentiment has recovered to around or above long-termaverages in the US and Europe, while China has weakened followingits post-reopening rebound. Despite this, overall G20 confidence hasremained broadly stable around neutral levels. A cautious consumer is taking hold, shapingmore intentional and value-oriented choices Value beyond price–durability and quality matter more than the price tag “How importantare thefollowing when you thinkabout getting ‘value’ from a product? “ High Quality (+3 pts vs2023) “For me, the most important thing about a brand isthat it offersgood value for money” NIQ Consumer Life 2026 Premium audio buyers are not just buyingsound, they are buying quality, trust, style,and ease 48% consumers “Prefer to own fewer but higherquality items”+2pts vs 2023 This tendencyis highest among Millennials, followed byGen Z Strong USD value growth across the board globally, but reported value growth looks strongerthan underlying demand due to currency effects Audio volume demandis fragmenting, with growth concentrated in LATAM and MEA Western Europe Middle East & Africa Latin America Source: GfK Market Intelligence: Sales Tracking, International Coverage (excl. North America, Russia) Premiumization is supporting value growth even as demand weakens in portable audio The last 18 months have seen a lot of price growth in headsets, but unevenly across thesubsegments–wireless headbands underparticular pricepressure As segments mature, premium comes under pressure, requiring re-invention In Wireless Headphones, mature segments face price erosion, while innovation is required to re-establish premium A similar pattern is happening in Wireless In-Ear True Wireless, the > 250 USD market isexpanding the segment Wireless headbands has seen growth stagnate in September 2025, but the segment is nowclearly expanding in the over 300 USD premium range–even more so excluding Apple GfkewronConsumerInitial Trigger reason for purchase:Get an additional productHeadphones/Headsets by segment: Usage:Sports/ AllJan 2025–Dec 2025 Different usage occasionswarrant different types ofheadphones Chinese brands are driving incremental category value in headsets/headphones via expansioninOpen Ear headphones Wired Mobile Headsets grow +13% in value despite a5% unitdecline, highlighting continuedpremiumization Headphones segments are facing different lifecycle stages, hence differingchallenges & opportunities Wireless Open Ear True Wireless Wireless Headband Wired Segments Only segment in hyper-growth, driven by truedemand expansion and newusage occasions.Consumers add rather thanreplace (e.g.second devicefor sports, outdoors) Structurally declining overallin volume due to wirelesssubstitution, but nichepremium audiophile demandis small but still growing Mature, replacement-drivencategory requiringcontinuous innovation tosustain premium Premium growth in a maturecategory, with longerupgrade cycles and asqueezed mid/entry segment& the only category underprice pressure Winning requires strong brandequity and clear featuredifferentiation in a non-expandingmarket Win by creating and owning newusage occasions Value increasingly captured byecosystem players, particularlyApple Value sustained by marketing toaudiophile consumers