Office Headset Market Stabilises, on Track to Achieve Nearly $3 Billion by 2026

The worldwide office headset market settled back into a rhythm of stable growth last year, according to a new industry report from Futuresource Consulting. After extremely high levels of pandemic-driven demand in 2020, shipments grew by 3% in 2021, to achieve a total of 37.5 million units. At the same time, market value increased even further, growing by 6% to reach $2.3 billion.

Pandemic Gives Rise to Headset Market Frenzy

“Back in 2020, as the pandemic hit, companies and employees were grabbing at any headsets they could get their hands on,” says Dila Cebeci, Market Analyst, Futuresource Consulting. “With supply bottlenecks, component shortages and low product availability, people were responding quickly to an immediate need, with little thought for functionality or features. However, as remote collaboration became the norm, we saw a shift in 2021.

“There was a greater understanding of technical requirements, and 2021 became the year of product upgrades. Although ongoing chipset shortages did hamper some premium product sales, and lower-end, lower-priced back orders were still being fulfilled.”

An End to Analogue, as Bluetooth Gains Ground

Bluetooth headsets also began to play a central role in shaping the landscape in 2021, widening their appeal, increasing market share and displacing legacy technologies like RJ9 connectivity. This was primarily due to a fundamental shift in the call centre industry, where homeworking greatly reduced the demand for analogue products.

A Global Market in Ascendance

“We’re seeing the growing importance of video conferencing technologies in professional environments as a key foundation for continued headset growth,” says Cebeci. “Call centre rebuilds are also providing market uplift. Moving forward, we expect market expansion to continue throughout the forecast period, culminating in a global market value of more than $2.9 billion by 2026.”

For further information or to purchase the Global Office-Based Headset Market Report from Futuresource Consulting, please contact ben.thrussell@futuresource-hq.com

About the author

Dila Cebeci

Dila is a market analyst within the Collaborations Team at Futuresource Consulting, analysing the ways in which collaborative work has changed over the last years and what changes are yet to come.

As pressures increase on remote and hybrid collaboration dynamics, this ever-evolving industry requires continuous adaptation and innovation. The Collaborations Team is examining what those changes are and how they are affecting the everyday lives of individuals and enterprises.

Dila has a postgraduate degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina, alongside the Humboldt University in Berlin and University of Bath in the UK. She has previous researching experience in the transport and logistics industries, looking into supply chain structures and risks.