HHTM Exclusive: Findings from new MarkeTrak study show greater hearing aid use, satisfaction
By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC–The portion of Americans with self-reported hearing difficulty who own hearing aids has increased to 30.2% (from 24.8% in 2008), and the satisfaction rate with hearing aids has grown to 81% from 74%, according to the MarkeTrak 9 survey conducted last fall by Az Marketing Research with Online…
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Bernstein Research is bullish on ReSound; sees it gaining on Sonova and Demant
By David H. Kirkwood LONDON–Bernstein Research, a leading analyst of the hearing aid industry, sees continued growth and higher stock prices in 2015 and beyond for GN Store Nord (GN), parent company of ReSound. However, as the title of its latest report, Hearing Aids: A Review of the Major Sector Trends Going into 2015. Still…
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Analyst says Phonak decision on Costco is “probably right” despite “short-term pain
By David H. Kirkwood LONDON–Since this blog first reported that Phonak LLC would start selling Brio, a new premium hearing aid model, through Costco, we have received and published dozens of comments on the issue. Many came from independent practitioners who dispense Phonak hearing aids. They expressed outrage over having to compete with a “big box”…
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Research firm analyzes market share, retail activity, and prospects of major hearing aid manufacturers
By David H. Kirkwood NEW YORK—A number of financial research firms in the United States and abroad follow the hearing industry on behalf of their clients. These include individual investors as well as institutional investors such as pension and hedge fund managers. The latest company to turn its sights on hearing aids is Sanford C.…
Read MoreHearing aid sales growth slows to a crawl
WASHINGTON, DC—Growth in the U.S. hearing aid market shrank during the third quarter of 2012, according to the latest statistical report from the Hearing Industries Association (HIA). The 705,791 hearing aids sold by manufacturers in the past three months was just 1.0% more than in the same period in 2011. The picture was even worse…
Read MoreHearing aid sales up slightly in 2012, but mostly because of demographic factors
Writing last week on Hearing Views, Sara Bloom, who covered the hearing aid industry from the early 1990s through 2010, made this observation: “The hearing care industry was flat for as long as I was writing about it. For all those 17 years, I would write that only about 25% of those who would benefit…
Read MoreHearing aid sales rise 5.3% from 2011
Hearing aid manufacturers posted solid gains in unit sales during the first quarter of 2012, according to the Hearing Industries Association’s latest quarterly statistical report. Manufacturers reported total net U.S. sales of 724,128 hearing aids, 5.3% more than in the first quarter of 2011. The year-to-year gain was the largest for any first quarter since…
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