Audio Equipment - UK - September 2007

SUMMARY

Abstract

The arrival of the iPod marked a sea change in the audio equipment market. Sales of MP3 players have grown dramatically at the expense of other portable music players, especially CD players. In the home, CDs remain the dominant format but are increasingly played on PCs and laptops - this change has adversely impacted the sale of conventional home audio equipment.

The question now is whether MP3 players have a future. In the portable music market, newer devices, notably MP4 players and mobile phones, threaten them with improved music-playing capabilities.

MP3 players are becoming a more flexible way to store music - it can be played in the home, on the move, for example. But even this role may diminish as new generations of digitally based music systems provide higher levels of storage capacity and the potential to deliver higher-quality sound.

Mintel defines audio equipment as a device designed principally to reproduce broadcast or recorded sounds. For the purposes of the market sizing, the definition will only encompass equipment where this is a primary function, including:

• hi-fi systems (all-in-one) and separates
• MP3 players (like iPod)
• personal CD players
• personal radios (digital and analogue)
• personal minidisc players.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

• Issues in the Market
• Key themes
• Definitions
• Market in Brief
• A market under pressure
• Digital increasing accessibility
• Manufacturers continue to innovate
• Older consumers becoming more important
• A competitive future
• Internal Market Environment
• Key points
• Music for life
• Downloading grows
  • Figure 1: PC ownership and Internet use, 2002-07
• Downloading hammers CD market
  • Figure 2: Purchasing of pre-recorded CD albums and CD singles in the last 12 months, 2005-07
• Increasing download sites
• Radio listening
  • Figure 3: All UK radio listeners, 2004-07
• Broader Market Environment
• Key points
• Changing age profile against audio
  • Figure 4: Changing age profile of the UK population, 2002-12
• Growth in income favours audio equipment
  • Figure 5: PDI and consumer expenditure, at constant 2002 prices, 2002-12
• Busy working days
• Taking action to be healthy
  • Figure 6: Agreement with general lifestyle statement ' I do some form of sport or exercise at least once a week' , 2002-06
• Competitive Context
• Key points
• Mobile phones the major competitor
• Competition in the home audio market...
• ...and in the portable market
• Competition from other leisure activities
  • Figure 7: How 11-19-year-olds spend their money, 2006
• Strengths and Weaknesses in the Market
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Market Size and Forecast
• Key points
• Price erosion persists
  • Figure 8: UK retail sales of audio equipment, by value, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
• The future of the market
• Convergence will not be the end of dedicated MP3 players
• Digital will take over, and have important repercussions
• Branding becomes more important
• Forecast
  • Figure 9: UK retail sales of audio equipment, at current and constant prices, 2002-12
  • Figure 10: UK retail sales of MP3 players, at current and constant prices, 2002-12
• Factors used in the forecast
• Segment Performance
• Key points
• Apple has the largest market share of the MP3 player market
  • Figure 11: Manufacturers' shares in MP3 market, 2005-07
• Overall demand for MP3 players enjoys record growth
  • Figure 12: UK retail value sales of portable MP3 players, by volume and value, 2000-07
• The overall market for portables peaked in 2006
  • Figure 13: UK retail value sales of portable audio players, by volume and value, 2002-07
• Home audio
  • Figure 14: UK retail sales of home audio/hi-fi equipment, by value, at current and constant prices, 2002-07
• Hi-fi separates move to speakers
• Market Share
• Key points
• Apple' s share of MP3 under attack
  • Figure 15: Manufacturers' shares in MP3 players, 2005-07
• Sony dominates home audio
  • Figure 16: Manufacturers' shares of the home audio market, 2006 and 2007
• Companies and Products
• Key points
  • Figure 17: Advertising expenditure of audio equipment brands detailed in this section
• Major companies
• Alba
• Apple Computer UK Ltd
  • Figure 18: Apple' s range of iPod audio devices, 2007
• Creative Labs
  • Figure 19: Creative audio range, 2007
• Philips Electronics UK Ltd
  • Figure 20: Philips UK audio range, 2007
• Samsung (UK) Ltd
• Sony UK Ltd
  • Figure 21: Sony UK audio range, 2007
• Other companies
• Bang & Olufsen UK Ltd
  • Figure 22: Bang & Olufsen audio range, 2007
• Bose Ltd
  • Figure 23: Bose' s product range in-home audio equipment, 2007
• Bowers & Wilkins
• Monitor Audio Ltd
• Pioneer (GB) Ltd
• Pure Digital
• Linn Products Ltd
• Logitech
• Roberts Radio Ltd
  • Figure 24: Roberts Radio audio range, 2007
• Toshiba
• Brand Communication and Promotion
• Key points
• Adspend consistently high
  • Figure 25: Main monitored media advertising spend on audio equipment, 2003-07
• 11 advertisers exceed £250K spendFigure 26: Main advertisers in the audio equipment market, 2006
• Advertising strategies emphasise portable products
• Retailers up the ante
  • Figure 27: Main monitored media spend by top five audio retailers, 2003-06
• Channels to Market
• Key points
  • Figure 28: Retail distribution of audio equipment, 2005-07
• Multiple electricals and grocers fight it out
• Independents lose out...
• Portable players extend outlets
• The Internet' s the thing
• Consumer 1 -- Listening to Music
• Key points
• Multiple sources of music
  • Figure 29: Method of listening to music nowadays, July 2007
• Practicality and choice
• Secondary sources popular
• Parents are a better bet for converged devices
• Are MP3 players at saturation point?
• Portable CD players hang on with older consumers
• DAB radio yet to make big impact
• Consumer 2 -- Attitudes Towards Technology
• Key points
• Do consumers buy music or technology?
  • Figure 30: Attitudes towards new technology, July 2007
• It' s like buying a new car (almost)
• Social networks and wider Internet community play a big part
• The effect of age
• Price figures prominently
  • Figure 31: Features influencing decision to buy an MP3 player, July 2007
• Are consumers that savvy when it comes to file format?
• Appendix
• Consumer research
• ACORN
• Advertising data
• Abbreviations
• Internal market environment
  • Figure 37: Agreement with ' Music is an important part of my life' , by gender, age and socio-economic group, 2006
  • Figure 38: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2002-06
  • Figure 39: Agreement with general attitudinal statements on music, 2002-06
  • Figure 40: Types of music that 11-14-year-olds like, 2002-06
  • Figure 41: Household ownership of PCs, 2002-06
  • Figure 42: Households using PC to listen to music, 2006
  • Figure 43: Adults who have used the Internet in the last 12 months, 2002-06
  • Figure 44: Frequency of using the Internet, 2002-06
• Consumer 1 -- How they listen to music
  • Figure 45: Use of MP3 players through speakers to listen to music, by age and socio-economic group, July 2007
  • Figure 46: Method of listening to music nowadays, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
  • Figure 47: Method of listening to music nowadays (continued), by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
  • Figure 48: Frequency of use of mobile phone, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
  • Figure 49: Frequency of use of mobile phone, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
  • Figure 50: Frequency of use of mobile phone, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
• Consumer 2 -- Attitudes towards new audio technology
  • Figure 51: Attitudes towards new audio technology, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
  • Figure 52: Attitudes towards technology, by way audio listened to, July 2007
  • Figure 53: Attitudes towards technology, by way audio listened to, July 2007
  • Figure 54: Features influencing decision to buy an MP3 player, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
  • Figure 55: Features influencing decision to buy an MP3 player, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
• Consumer 3 -- Further analysis
  • Figure 56: Repertoire of methods of listening to music nowadays, July 2007
  • Figure 57: Repertoire of methods of listening to music, by Mintel' s target groups, July 2007
  • Figure 58: Features of MP3 players sought on purchase, by Mintel' s target groups, July 2007
  • Figure 59: Features of MP3 players sought on purchase, by MP3 usage, July 2007
  • Figure 60: Usage of MP3 players, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007
  • Figure 61: Mintel' s target groups, by gender, age, region, socio-economic group, daily and Sunday newspaper readership, household income, presence of children, Internet usage, supermarket usage and TV reception, July 2007