Bol.com and Mediamarkt were the most popular sellers of hearables in the first quarter for the Netherlands, with a market share of 25 percent and 21 percent respectively, according to a study by the Telecompaper Consumer Insights Panel. Apple was at third place with a market share of 12 percent, and was the most popular manufacturer for direct sales. By comparison, Samsung was the most popular 'manufacturer vendor,' and enjoyed a market share of 3 percent.
Most Dutch people pay less than EUR 50 for a headset, young people are the exception
Almost two-thirds of the Dutch (62%) said they acquired their headset for less than EUR 50. About a quarter (24%) received theirs with another device, while another 17 percent paid EUR 21-50 for them. About, 11 percent paid EUR 11-20 and 10 percent EUR 1-10.
Younger people, aged 16-24, formed an exception: 35 percent indicated they use a headset of more than EUR 100. The market average is only 21 percent. This difference can be explained in part by the popularity of Apple in this age group.
Apart from the wired EarPods, which were standard with every iPhone until the iPhone 12, Apple does not sell headphones priced under EUR 100 for its own brand name. It does under the brand name of its subsidiary Beats. The cheapest option is a set of Apple AirPods from 2019, which can be purchased at several online stores for EUR 120-130.
Women seem to go for cheaper headsets, men also for quality
Women seem to want to spend less money on their headsets than men. Women indicate more often that they received free hearables with another device (20% vs 28% for men) or paid EUR 1-10 for it. Men are more likely to own headsets of EUR 21-50 (20% of men vs 15% of women) and EUR 51-100 (20% vs 12%).
The Dutch in general most often cite quality (37%) and price (35%) as reasons for choosing their headset. Men find this more important than women (44% vs 29% and 42% vs 28% respectively) and are also more likely to rely on brand (26% vs 20%) and online reviews (17% vs 9%).
Women more often indicate that they choose a headset because it came (as standard) with another device. For 29 percent of Dutch women, this was a reason to "buy", compared to 16 percent of the men. They seem to be more sensitive to a "free" headset received with another different device, than men.
Quality and design often important for young people
Especially for young people, quality often proves to be a reason to purchase hearables: 53 percent of 16-24 year olds took this into account. They also relatively often include brand (33% vs 23% for all ages) and design/appearance (23% vs 12%) in their considerations when purchasing a new headset. This is consistent with the relatively high installed base that Apple has under this group.
Many iPhone users indicate that they are relatively insensitive to price (25%, compared to 35% for entire market) when buying hearables. The reason for this could be that Apple offers few products in the low-end segment. As a result, people who are sensitive to price probably often buy a smartphone from another manufacturer.
When buying hearables, iPhone owners are more sensitive to quality (43% vs 37%), brand (28% vs 23%) and design/appearance (19% vs 12%) than average. As mentioned, this can be explained, among other things, by the focus of Apple, which mainly profiles itself as a premium manufacturer with strong designs and which competes less on price.
The above article is part of a four-part series based on research from the Telecompaper Consumer Insights Panel, where we now also collect information about the market for hearables, tablets and wearables. Telecompaper collects information about the market and about different age groups, but also considers how people get their headphones and earphones and at what price, if they are satisfied with the products and have plans for future purchases. For this survey, we interview 1,800 members every quarter, from 16 to 80 years of age. Outcomes are stratified by age, gender and education. For more information about our panel and possibilities, please contact our research department (research@telecompaper.com).
