Cashing In on Bath Product Sales

With Medicare reimbursements continuing a downslide, home medical equipment providers in increasing numbers are looking to cash sales to maintain their margins. And industry experts say bath safety is the perfect cash-and-carry category to help ensure business doesn't go down the drain.

Among the first areas where seniors and aging baby boomers need assistance is in the bathroom. A person turns 65 every 10 seconds, and products like grab bars and shower seats can help ensure their safety in one of the most accident-prone places in the home, according to Michael Serhan, who focuses on product design as executive vice president for Drive Medical.

In the past, bathroom products were more functional than fashionable. But now these items also are being designed to be more attractive, as well as convenient to install and remove. After all, manufacturers don't want to deter potential buyers from making a purchase.

“No one wakes up and says, ‘I need to buy bath products today,’” Serhan says. “If you make [people] want the product in addition to needing it, however, that ultimately means more sales.”

Kevin Jones, senior product and brand manager for Home Care by Moen, says “the market continues to grow” and notes that eventually, most consumers will need bath safety products.

Numbers bear out the need. People born in 1939 and earlier represent 12.6 percent of the population, according to a MetLife Mature Market Institute report. Add that to the 78 million baby boomers — those born between 1946 to 1964 — and nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population potentially could need bath safety products in the next decade.

In fact, statistics indicate that American homes are ripe for a bath safety bonanza.

A recent study sponsored by The Home Depot found that 60 percent of consumers age 50 and older expect to live in their current residence during the next five years, and that 65 percent plan to remodel or improve their homes — with bathrooms a key area in creating a safe and comfortable home for years to come.

Conducted by Focalyst, a joint venture of AARP Services and research firm The Kantar Group, the study gathered data from more than 30,000 consumers from the baby boom generation and older, an audience estimated at 125 million Americans. Study findings also showed that life events common to the 50-plus population, such as caring for an elderly parent, often trigger projects to improve bathroom functionality.