Why Shokz, JBL and other open-ear headphones are becoming popular corporate gifts for work, fitness and everyday use.
Custom printed earbuds have been a popular corporate gift and promotional tech product for years. They are portable, useful and easy to incorporate into employee gifts, corporate events, wellness programs, sales incentives and customer appreciation programs. But recently, the earbud category has become a lot more interesting.
Open-ear earbuds and headphones are quickly becoming one of the biggest trends in personal audio.
Instead of sitting inside the ear canal like traditional wireless earbuds, open-ear earbuds rest outside the ear. This allows someone to listen to music, podcasts or calls while still hearing what is happening around them. For runners, walkers, cyclists and anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors, that combination can be a major advantage.
And this is no longer a small niche within the headphone market. Open-ear products accounted for more than 10% of the global personal audio market by 2025, with annual shipments exceeding 30 million units according to Omdia data cited by Shokz. Shokz also reported that global open-ear headphone sales outside North America and Russia reached $1.11 billion from January through May 2026, up 45% year over year.
For companies looking for something different from traditional promotional wireless earbuds, custom branded open-ear headphones are becoming one of our favorite tech gift options.
What Are Open-Ear Earbuds?
Traditional earbuds fit inside the ear canal, typically creating some degree of seal between the listener and the outside environment. Open-ear earbuds take a completely different approach.
They sit outside the ear canal and direct audio toward the ear while leaving it open. Depending on the product, this can be done through air conduction or bone conduction technology.
The biggest benefit is situational awareness. You can listen to your music without completely shutting out the world around you.
That makes open-ear headphones particularly useful for running, walking, cycling and hiking. You can still hear approaching bicycles, pedestrians, traffic and other activity around you. They are also becoming increasingly popular for workplaces, travel and everyday use where someone may want to listen to audio while remaining available to coworkers or aware of announcements and conversations.
Comfort is another major reason people are switching. Since nothing needs to sit deep inside the ear canal, open-ear earbuds can be comfortable for extended listening. Many newer models also use flexible ear hooks or lightweight wraparound designs to keep the headphones secure during workouts and other activities.
Why Open-Ear Earbuds Are Becoming So Popular
Open-ear headphones initially gained much of their popularity among runners, cyclists and other athletes. Today, the category has expanded far beyond sports.
People are wearing them while commuting, working, traveling, walking their dogs, doing chores around the house and spending time outdoors. Shokz's latest research on the category points specifically toward long-wear comfort and situational awareness becoming increasingly important to consumers, with open-ear products expanding from active use into work, commuting and travel.
That versatility is part of what makes custom open-ear earbuds such an interesting corporate gift.
A good promotional product should fit naturally into someone's routine. Branded earbuds and headphones can be used at the gym in the morning, during a workday, on a walk at lunch and again while traveling. Instead of being tied to one particular event or use case, they can go wherever the recipient goes.
Why I Started Loving Open-Ear Headphones
I've gotten into open-ear headphones myself recently and completely understand why the category is growing so quickly.
I run on the hike-and-bike trails around Austin all the time and also run quite a bit through my neighborhood. I love having music or a podcast going, but I don't necessarily want to completely block out everything happening around me.
With open-ear headphones, I can hear a cyclist coming up behind me on the trail, another runner passing or a car approaching when I'm running through the neighborhood while still listening to what I want.
They have been awesome for that.
It's also made me appreciate these more as a promotional product. This isn't tech that has to sit at someone's desk. A good pair of custom branded open-ear headphones can become part of someone's workout, commute, workday or everyday routine.
Open-Ear Headphones Have Become a Major Retail Category
One of the biggest reasons we're excited about this category is the quality of the retail brands now available.
Custom branded Shokz headphones are probably the first place we look when a client wants premium open-ear headphones with their company logo. Shokz has been one of the brands most closely associated with open-ear audio and bone conduction headphones. According to Omdia data cited by Shokz, the company ranked No. 1 globally in open-ear headphone shipments from 2023 through 2025.
Shokz has also continued expanding beyond its original bone conduction designs into true wireless open-ear earbuds. Its OpenFit line, for example, wraps around the ear while leaving the inner ear open.
JBL custom branded headphones and earbuds are another great option. JBL has built out its own open-ear lineup using JBL OpenSound Technology, giving companies another recognizable retail brand when they want premium custom earbuds for employees, customers or events.
That retail recognition can make a big difference with corporate gifting. There is an immediate perceived value when someone opens a gift and sees a brand they already recognize.
Our 5 Favorite Custom Open-Ear Earbuds & Headphones
There are a growing number of open-ear headphones available for corporate branding. Depending on budget, quantity and audience, these are five of our current favorites.
1. JBL Soundgear Sense Open-Ear Earbuds
The JBL Soundgear Sense Earbuds are one of our favorite premium options for companies looking for custom JBL earbuds with a logo.
They use JBL OpenSound Technology with air conduction and rest along the curve of the ear without obstructing the ear canal. Adjustable ear hooks help provide a secure fit, while a detachable neckband adds another option for workouts and other active uses. They are also IP54 rated for resistance to dust and splashes.
For corporate wellness gifts, employee appreciation, executive gifts and higher-end event giveaways, these check a lot of boxes. You get a recognizable JBL retail brand combined with a product that feels newer and different from another pair of traditional wireless earbuds.
2. Shokz OpenFit Open-Ear Earbuds
The Shokz OpenFit Open-Ear Earbuds are an easy recommendation when a client wants a premium open-ear option.
OpenFit uses Shokz DirectPitch technology to deliver audio while leaving the inner ear open. Each earbud weighs just 8.3 grams, and the flexible ear-hook design helps keep them secure during walking, running and other activities. The earbuds provide up to seven hours of listening on a charge and up to 28 hours with the charging case.
More importantly from a B2B gifting perspective, Shokz already has a strong association with running, fitness and open-ear audio. Custom Shokz earbuds can be a particularly good fit for employee wellness programs, fitness companies, outdoor brands, corporate retreats and premium customer gifts.
3. HyperGear AeroFlex 360 Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds
Not every program needs a premium retail-brand price point.
The HyperGear AeroFlex 360 Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds give companies another way to tap into the open-ear headphone trend while working with different budgets and quantities.
That's particularly useful for larger employee programs, conferences, corporate events, wellness initiatives and promotional campaigns where hundreds of pieces may be needed.
As open-ear technology becomes more mainstream, we expect to see more options like these across different promotional price points.
4. Shokz OpenMove Bone Conduction Headphones
The Shokz OpenMove Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones offer a different take on the open-ear concept.
Instead of true wireless earbuds, OpenMove uses Shokz bone conduction technology while leaving the ears completely open. The lightweight headphones weigh 29 grams, have an IP55 water-resistant rating and provide up to six hours of music and calls on a charge.
These are particularly easy to connect with running events, fitness programs, outdoor companies and corporate wellness gifts. They're also a good example of how open-ear headphones don't necessarily have to look or function like traditional earbuds.
5. JBL Sense Lite Wireless Open-Ear Earbuds
The JBL Sense Lite Wireless Earbuds are another excellent option for custom branded JBL earbuds.
They use JBL OpenSound Technology to keep the ear canal open while still directing audio toward the listener. They offer up to 32 total hours of playtime, four microphones for calls, multipoint connectivity and IP54 water and dust resistance.
That makes the Sense Lite particularly versatile. These don't have to be positioned strictly as workout earbuds. They can work equally well as employee gifts, corporate travel gifts, sales incentives and premium tech giveaways.
Who Should Use Custom Branded Open-Ear Earbuds?
Corporate wellness programs are one of the most obvious applications. If your company promotes running, walking challenges, fitness or general employee wellness, custom open-ear headphones fit the program naturally.
They can also work extremely well for tech companies, healthcare organizations, fitness brands, outdoor companies, travel companies, universities and organizations with employees who spend time in the field.
Corporate retreats are another interesting opportunity. Instead of another piece of standard event merchandise, branded Shokz or JBL earbuds can serve as a higher-value attendee gift that employees take home and continue using.
The same applies to sales incentives, customer appreciation gifts, executive gifts and company milestones. When the budget allows for a premium retail brand, custom logo earbuds can feel much closer to receiving a retail gift than a traditional promotional item.
And because open-ear headphones are still a relatively new category for many people, they have a little more of that "What is this?" factor when someone opens the box.
Custom Open-Ear Earbuds vs. Traditional Wireless Earbuds
Open-ear earbuds aren't necessarily replacing traditional wireless earbuds. They serve a different purpose.
Traditional in-ear earbuds are still a great option for flights, focused listening and situations where someone wants more isolation from outside noise. There are also plenty of excellent custom printed wireless earbuds available for companies that prefer the traditional design.
Open-ear headphones shine when awareness, comfort and activity matter more.
Someone running through a neighborhood may want to hear approaching traffic. Someone walking through a busy city may want to hear what is happening around them. An employee might want music playing while still being able to hear coworkers. A parent may want to listen to a podcast without completely tuning out what is happening at home.
That's what makes the category so versatile.
Why Retail-Branded Earbuds Make Great Corporate Gifts
There are plenty of inexpensive promotional earbuds available, and those certainly have their place for larger events and tighter budgets.
But when companies are looking for higher-end corporate gifts, recognizable retail brands can offer considerably higher perceived value.
Giving someone custom JBL earbuds or branded Shokz headphones is different from giving them an unknown pair of headphones. The recipient already understands the brand and has some idea of what that product would cost at retail.
Then there is the longevity of the gift.
Someone who likes their headphones may use them several times every week. They might wear them while running before work, bring them on a business trip and use them again on a weekend hike. That creates a branded product that becomes part of their routine and is kept for a long time.
For employee appreciation gifts, customer gifts, corporate wellness programs and executive gifting, that repeated use is a major reason premium branded tech continues to be such a strong category.
Open-Ear Audio Is One of Our Favorite New Branded Tech Trends
We've been selling custom printed earbuds, promotional headphones and branded tech products for years, but open-ear audio has made this category much more interesting.
After using open-ear headphones myself while running around Austin, I completely understand the appeal. Being able to listen to music or a podcast while still hearing cyclists, traffic and everything happening around me has been great.
And the broader market appears to be moving in the same direction. Open-ear headphones are expanding beyond runners and athletes into commuting, travel, workplaces and everyday listening.
For companies, that creates another opportunity to give employees and customers something newer that can become part of their daily routine.
Whether you're looking for custom printed earbuds for a large event, custom Shokz headphones for an employee wellness program, branded JBL earbuds for corporate gifts or premium open-ear headphones for executives and top customers, there are now options across a wide range of styles and budgets.
And with open-ear audio continuing to grow, we expect this to be one of the more interesting promotional tech and corporate gifting categories to watch.