In today's fast-paced and high-tech society, designer products have become a way of life. People want to be seen driving a Mercedes or a Porsche, wearing Calvin Klein or Prada, telling time with a Rolex or pulling lipstick out of a Louis Vuitton.
Image is everything, and now this culture is ingrained in the custom, sport and lightweight wheelchair market.
Particularly with the K0005 ultra-lightweight segment, sales are largely consumer-,not Medicare-, driven. This demand gives manufacturers a chance to experiment with new materials and designs to meet the look and functionality users need. And most experts agree that the hottest trends focus on taking style and performance to a whole new level.
“Most innovations are occurring in the K0005 (ultra lightweight) chair segment,” says John Vadeboncoeur, Invacare Corp.'s product manager for custom manual wheelchairs. “This is where technology is taking over from being just a basic wheelchair.”
In fact, Sunrise Medical's Brent Hatch, product manager of standard mobility, says technological evolution for manual wheelchairs seems to be swinging more toward the ultra-lightweights — and less to everywhere else, including the lightweight (K0003) and high-strength lightweight (K0004) segments.
“The K0004 used to be a more customized chair,” he says, “but as more competitors enter the market, there is a need to be more price-sensitive, which means producing chairs with fewer features.
“In many product segments, you'll often see features ‘pulled down’ through the chain of the product line,” he continues, but he notes this trickle-down is at a “much slower pace” for lightweight wheelchairs. “It's because of price competitiveness, and the fact that [the more basic chairs] are a rental business.”
Hatch adds, though, that lightweight and high-strength lightweight business remain strong. “The real story behind the K-1 through K-4 chairs is how dealers manage the business,” he explains. “On the dealer end, it involves fleet maintenance and careful managing of chair deployment in order to make a profitable venture.”
Scott Higley, vice president of sales for Pride Mobility's Quantum Rehab, agrees, noting that there is “not as much cutting-edge stuff” in K0003 and K0004 because of price constraints. “You are tied by the reimbursements,” he says.
“There are a lot of issues providers are facing right now,” Higley continues, “and we have to be sure to give them more value.” He adds that interchangeable parts help providers serve customers easier. For example, one footrest will fit on multiple chair models to simplify inventory, he says. “That way, if [a provider] needs to take care of a customer [needing a repair] right away, it's not a big issue.”
‘High-Tech Sculptures’
The K0005 category covers a wide range of models in folding and rigid chairs. Although both have seen tremendous technical innovation over the past five to 10 years, consumers now want designs that meet their needs from an aesthetic point of view, Vadeboncoeur explains.
“We as consumers would never be happy buying a car five years from now … if we had to buy the exact same car available on the market today,” he says. “The same is true with the design of wheelchairs. Lighter is good, but people are ready for something new to fit their lifestyle.”
He says much of the focus now is on high-performance chairs without a lot of specialized seating or adjustment requirements, but still with enough components to make people's lives easier, like swing-in/swing-out front riggings for easier transfer. For folding chairs, which historically have not given the best ride because of their mechanisms, rigidity enhancements are improving performance.
Josh Anderson, TiLite's vice president of marketing, agrees that style is now a huge part of the ultra-lightweight industry. “Chairs of years ago looked very medical, and that reflected on the image of yourself,” Anderson says.
“The new developments of these chairs include adding many functional benefits, which also add to the aesthetics of the end product. They end up looking like high-tech sculptures,” he says.
Even though ultra-lightweight chairs are considered high-end sport chairs, Anderson says product design also focuses on active, everyday use. “These are people who need to do their daily activities like working, shopping and playing, and they want to do it with convenience and style,” he says.
Joe Ticer, regional vice president for Graham-Field Health Products Homecare Division, believes that users in the ultra-lightweight-chair segment are educated consumers who will use a chair for more than an episodic period or temporary mobility limitation. Because these users are in their chairs all the time, “more often than not, they may know more [about the product] than the manufacturers.”
He points out that these consumers are looking for the entire package: sleek styling and enhanced features. “Just look at some of these chairs … frame colors and elaborate wheel packages. It ends up being a statement, and there is a lot of peer influence when it comes to these high-end products,” Ticer says, explaining that consumers want to buy what their peers buy — or one better.
According to Colours in Motion President John Box, the segment offers innovative style and design, boasting everything from quick disassembly to unique accessories and colors. Because the market is so consumer-driven, the company invites customer suggestions on its Web site, then integrates many into its designs with the goal of changing “the way people see the disabled [and how you see] yourself,” Box says.
Battle of the Bulge
“There is a battle going on right now to develop the lightest chair,” says Ticer. “It is definitely an art and a science. You can develop an extremely lightweight chair, but it needs to be strong at the same time.”
Box says Colours' customers have been surveyed over the years, and “being lightweight” always comes up as the No. 1 important feature for a wheelchair.
“The interesting thing about weight is that people suggest they want their chair light so they can transport easily in their car. But when you think about it, what percentage of time is actually spent transferring the weight of the chair into a car? Compare that to the time you spend sitting in the chair,” he says.
Some wheelchair features like suspension mechanisms or certain chair backs “might add a little weight, but they are worth their weight because of the comfort [the features provide],” he says. “Comfort needs to be a factor.”
Industry experts agree that the future of the lightweight and custom wheelchair market includes more use of exotic materials such as aircraft aluminum, magnesium, carbon graphite and titanium.
The owner of Eagle Sportschairs, Barry Ewing says titanium remains the material of choice for most high-end chairs — and customers are asking for it. “The material does make the chairs more expensive, but it definitely gives the equipment a longer lifespan,” he says.
Carbon fiber represents another material trend, says Chris Peterson, manager of product development for Invacare Top End. He explains that unlike titanium, which is purchased in tubing, carbon fiber is made in a mold that can produce varying amounts for a particular product.
“This is a popular thing in the bicycling industry right now, and we follow that industry on what's available as far as materials,” says Peterson. “Over the last several years the evolution has been very fast with new materials and design, but that evolution is slowing down a little. Now it comes down to marketing.”
Invacare's Vadeboncoeur references an innovation with one of the company's chairs that features a cantilever-design frame offering a minimalist look. “Less material inherently means issues with durability. But we strengthen it to be more rigid through a fusion process with carbon fiber and titanium, much like what is being used in the mountain bike and golf club industry,” he explains.
It's Not Just Equipment
Box says the innovation in the ultra-lightweight market is slowing because — as with many HME product segments — it is being stunted by reduced funding. “We're still making cool stuff that is aesthetically pleasing, but this is not a growing market,” he says. “Some people have the [means] to have the best, but most will have to look at lower-end chairs to serve their needs.”
Nevertheless, say the experts, there are opportunities in this consumer-driven niche. With the right marketing and product knowledge, a provider can carve out a healthy business, they say.
TiLite's Anderson, who is a chair-user himself, says if insurance weren't covering the best mobility for his needs, he would find another way. “If you are in an ultra-lightweight chair, chances are good your chair is the only way you get around, and your chair is never more than an arm's reach away,” he says. “It is part of my being, and the cost associated with a high-end chair isn't an issue if it's the only way I get around.”
“These new chairs are innovative and fun at the same time,” sums up Vadeboncoeur. “People don't want to think of their wheelchair as another piece of equipment. They want to think, ‘This chair is going to enhance my life.’”
Experts Interviewed: Josh Anderson, vice president of marketing, TiLite, Kennewick, Wash.; John Box, president, Colours in Motion, Anaheim, Calif.; Barry Ewing, owner, Eagle Sportschairs, Snellville, Ga.; Brent Hatch, product manager, standard mobility, Sunrise Medical, Longmont, Colo.; Scott Higley, vice president of sales, Quantum Rehab division of Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa.; Chris Peterson, manager of product development, Invacare Top End, and John Vadeboncoeur, product manager, custom manual wheelchairs, Invacare Corp., Elyria, Ohio; Joe Ticer, regional vice president, Graham-Field Health Products Homecare Division, Atlanta.
Helping Customers ‘Get Back Into Life’
As with many HME categories, product expertise is central to a provider's success in custom and lightweight wheelchair sales.
Because these chairs require in-depth knowledge of each user's individual needs, most experts agree that having a dedicated seating and mobility product specialist can ease a home care company's entry into the segment. But beyond expertise, a provider must be retail-savvy. Though many lightweight wheelchairs are reimbursed through Medicare, consumer demand is driving the market.
Graham-Field's Joe Ticer says providers entering the segment not only need the expertise but also a visible retail location, and they must become active in the community. “It's a great leap to expand your business upward, because it is in large percent a cash business,” he explains. “You need to determine whether your market can sustain it.”
Providers already selling standard manual wheelchairs can more easily consider lightweight options on the chairs they already offer to enhance their product line, Ticer explains. These chairs usually don't require the expertise of a rehab specialist, but they will “take the company to the next level,” he says.
Manufacturers have made things easier, he adds, by making parts interchangeable between standard and lightweight models to offer economies of scale and assist with inventory management issues.
In the end, says Invacare's Chris Peterson, a provider's retail space and marketing strategies should reflect what these products do — help active people get back into life. “This has a very positive image,” he says.
As Interest in Adaptive Sports Increases, Demand for Sport Chairs Grows
According to Invacare's Chris Peterson, an adjustable sport chair can be ideal for team sports where various players can use the same chair with some minor adjustments. But for top-level sports and high-performance players, chairs must be customized to meet the individual player's needs.
“These chairs are typically able to be faster, lighter and stronger. Having a chair that fits you right helps increase your performance,” Peterson says, adding that enhanced adjustments and other features can help make a great athlete even better.
While basketball and tennis may be the most well-known adaptive sports in the country, others, such as handcycling, quad rugby (see page 66), softball, and even arena football are gaining popularity.
In line with the trend, Peterson says the demand for chairs customized for each particular sport is growing. “Handcycles are a growing opportunity right now, and wheelchair racing is also a growing sport. Basketball and tennis remain very strong.”
As interest in different sports grows, so does the need for more advanced equipment, and most sport wheelchair makers say they rely on experienced athletes to offer design feedback and suggestions for improving the wheelchairs. And because athletes want more from their equipment — lighter weight, faster speed and more streamlining — many of the technological advances tested in sports chairs roll over into mainstream products.
What would take sales for sports chairs to the next level?
Says Peterson: “It would be nice if we could come out with a new sport!”
