It has been one year since the FDA's historic over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid guidelines were published. Before the October 2022 guidelines, hearing aid purchases required a visit to a hearing professional. Finally, years of bi-partisan advocacy and multiple presidential mandates resulted in a new class of devices available without a doctor's visit. Most OTC devices are self-fit using a smartphone app.
In the eyes of my two-year-old, one year is an eternity, but in the world of health and technology, it's just not that long.
Still, a lot has happened. Since the FDA released its guidelines, iconic brands like Bose, Jabra, and Sony have released hearing aids at affordable prices. It's hard to imagine a more significant departure from the big and beige legacy that hearing tech has held.
Amidst the rise of new hearing aid options, Best Buy has fashioned itself as a home to over-the-counter innovators. The national retailer now carries every major hearing brand, including category leaders like Lexie B2 Powered by Bose and Jabra Enhance Plus.
Have OTC Hearing Aids Worked?
If you ask industry insiders, they might tell you that over-the-counter hearing aids have delivered underwhelming sales results. Most research indicates that over-the-counter hearing aids accounted for around 2% of total sales in the last year. ASHA released research that some have hailed as an early signal that OTC is a bust.
Those early takes miss the point. A quick look at Google Trends data reveals that online hearing aid research has increased by more than 65% in the last year vs the previous five years.
That increase in awareness is no surprise when you consider that top media outlets like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post have featured hearing aids as a marquee story. We may be one year into the OTC hearing aid era, but it's clear that the move has done at least one thing very well. Drive the conversation.
For Best Buy and other hearing aid retailers, national awareness turns into foot traffic and opportunities to offer customers hands-on exposure to hearing aids that are often predominantly online or behind closed clinic doors. Best Buy now carries hearing aids in over 600 stores nationwide.