With the rise of online
hearing aids, the press has recently caught wind of the major changes occurring in the hearing aid industry, with increasing coverage of shifts taking place. Today the
New York Times featured Audicus in its story “The Hunt for an Affordable Hearing Aid,” which chronicles hearing impaired journalist Tricia Romano’s search for a
low-cost hearing aid. Romano sheds light on the exorbitant price of hearing aids sold by audiologists and profiles the quickly changing landscape of the hearing aid industry—one that is being disrupted by alternative retailers such as Costco and online hearing aid stores like Audicus.
Audicus Online Hearing Aids in the News
Audicus CEO Patrick Freuler in the article comments on the industry changes:
“The big discussion right now in the industry is about unbundling. The consumer has absolutely no idea how much is the cost of the device, how much is the cost of the service that went into testing, advising, programming, your after-sales support. All the customer sees at the end of it is one big fat price tag that says, ‘$2,000.’ ”
And all of those channels are mostly marketing. “For someone with mild to moderate hearing loss, the average hearing aid today is completely overengineered,” he said. He cited studies showing that four or five channels improve speech intelligibility.
While Audicus offers online
hearing aids for $299 to $599 per ear, audiologists commonly charge more than $2,000 per ear to cover overhead costs.
In addition to lower pricing and more variety in terms of retailers, another change occurring within the hearing aid industry is the growth of the personal sound amplifier (PSA) segment. The
Wall Street Journal in a recent article “Testing, Testing, Can You Hear Better Now?” showcased PSAs, like Audicus’ aJive personal sound amplifier, described as “smaller, hipper and…over the counter” devices. PSAs increasingly appeal to a younger generation experiencing hearing loss from concert-going or listening to loud music. Devices such as the aJive serve as an audio accessory rather than a medical device and are a great introductory option for those with minor hearing loss.
Hearing aids' sleekness and discreetness also come into play. In August CNBC profiled Audicus as a company disrupting the hearing aid industry in a segment that focused on competitive pricing and nearly invisible products. Fast Company Design in July also took note of Audicus’ mission to make hearing aids more accessible, while reducing the stigma associated with them. Its article “Online Service Makes Buying a Hearing Aid as Easy as Buying Glasses” focused on Audicus’
online hearing aids model and designer hearing aids.
Audicus continues to make headlines as one of the leading online hearing aid retailers that brings quick change to an industry in need of innovation.
Read more about Audicus'
online hearing aids.
by Patrick Freuler
