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New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (enterprise.frost.com), European Office Headset Market, finds that the market shipped more than 1.3 million units in 2007 and estimates this to reach 2.7 million in 2013.
"The trend of multitasking is motivating the need for hands-free telephony, which, in turn, creates a natural need for headsets," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Dorota Oviedo. "The proliferation of wireless headsets attached to mobile phones and the high adoption of PC headsets in the consumer space will boost the penetration of headsets in the office space."
Knowledge workers are increasingly multitasking across many communication and IT tools. In this context, productivity is vastly improved by being able to have a hands-free telephone conversation. This advantage will promote the adoption of headsets.
User acceptance of headsets in the consumer space, coupled with positive value perception, will create demand for their use in office environments. The growth in softphones will support headset sales.
"The softphone market segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42.8 per cent from 2007 to 2013," explains Oviedo. "The strong push in this segment is anticipated to come from major e-mail vendors such as Microsoft (Office Communicator) and IBM Lotus (Sametime Unified Telephony Client); as well as PBX vendors such as Cisco (Cisco Unified Personal Communicator)."
Increasingly, however, corded headsets are being replaced with wireless headsets. Corded headsets are also being cannibalised by PC headsets that are often cheaper. This trend will affect market revenues.
Price is an important and sensitive differentiator in the headset market. Headsets are perceived as a commodity item with very little technology or design differentiation. Buying organisations are highly price sensitive while making decisions.
"Buying organisations should weigh the true value of headsets in terms of their ability to enhance productivity through hands-free communication," comments Oviedo. "Price points need to be compared with audio quality."
To tap into opportunities in a small market, where only a select few in organisations demand headsets, vendors need to invest in raising awareness levels. They also should emphasise the value proposition and the benefits offered by office telephony headsets.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users and other industry participants with an overview of the European office headset market, then send an email to Joanna Lewandowska, Corporate Communications, at joanna.lewandowska[.]frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you by email.
European Office Headset Market is part of the Enterprise Communications Growth Partnership Services Programme, which also includes research in the following markets: business telephony, open source telephony, telephony endpoints, unified messaging and mobile enterprise applications markets. All research included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership™ empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents.
European Office Headset Market - M29B
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joanna.lewandowska[.]frost.com 
