Penetration of Bluetooth headphones has jumped considerably in recent years

For many of us the way we listen to music and podcasts, or watch films and TV programmes on tablets and laptops, has been subtly yet profoundly changing across recent years with the rapid growth in adoption of wireless headphones/earphones.

Consumer behaviour typically changes relatively slowly in the short term, but the rapidity of adoption of Bluetooth headphones/earphones over just a handful of years has been dramatic – with the change continuing apace and offering up opportunities for brands in the wider audio-visual sector.

Today, 45% of adults say they use headphones or earphones – a figure which in itself has remained flat across recent years. However, just four years ago, almost three-quarters of headphone/earphone users were using either wired over-ear, on-ear, or in-ear devices. This has fallen to around 40% today as wireless Bluetooth headphones/earphones have emphatically overtaken their wired equivalents in popularity.

For Bluetooth headphone/earphone users the most popular brand in this space is Apple. However, no single brand is close to dominating this market. 

This presents opportunities for a whole host of brands to build a prominent presence in this open market.

Headphone/earphone users are particularly likely compared to the average adult to be exposed to outdoor advertising – little surprise given the utility of such devices when getting about. Of course, travel generally lends itself well to use of headphones/earphones for listening to audio or watching favourite movies and TV programmes.

TGI shows that owners of Bluetooth headphones/earphones are considerably more likely than the average adult to claim they listen to online audio, as well as to watch TV on a tablet or a smartphone.