Try new hearing care technology without buying pressure 
2019-12-27
“After positive results abroad, we introduced the free-trial services for Unitron’s newest product series Discover,” said Huang Ying, China chief of its Unitron brand. “Our services now involve more interaction with consumers, aiming to give them a sense of participation, and people can take the products home for one week to see if they fit or not.”
One global survey found that people with hearing loss usually took up to seven years on average before deciding to buy a hearing aid.
“An unpleasant first experience of using hearing aids is often the reason,” Huang said.
Dai Ruibang, a hearing professional at Sonova, said services are just important. “It’s an emotional journey for people and they need the right support,” he said. “That means providing a personalized solution that matches their unique lifestyles.” 
After pilot programs in some major cities, the free trial and real world assessment is available nationwide.
Unitron’s Discover series of products has greater capabilities thanks to artificial intelligence. 
“Hearing aids on the Discover platform empower the wearer to respond to sound as quickly as a normal hearing young adult,” said Huang. “It has a better environment classification based on machine learning or artificial intelligence.”
To better facilitate dialogue for people with hearing loss, Unitron hearing aids divide environments into quiet surroundings, noise, small groups, crowds and music. Recognizing different acoustic scenarios means they can better process sounds.
“An accurate classification determines how best to process the sound, in order to achieve the best overall sound quality,” Dai said.
Together with the artificial intelligence, the hearing instruments on the Discover platform are equipped with technologies including sound conductors and spatial awareness to improve performance. They make the equipment smart enough to seamlessly optimize sound as people move throughout different sound scenarios.
According to the company, more than 90 percent of people paid for products after one week’s use, much higher than the usual success rate.
“People can feel the difference and enjoy a pleasant experience,” Huang said.
Zhang Wei, chief of Sonova China, said this improved service model, with a no-commitment trial of high-performance hearing care technology, may help unlock huge market potential in China.
“China has at least 80 million people who need hearing aids and the number will rise tremendously with a fast aging population that cares about quality of life,” Zhang said.
He said better services and better products, such as hearing instruments on Unitron’s Discover platform, are key to unlocking the potential in China.
“It is a milestone for Sonova China and for the hearing care industry,” Zhang said.
