A new study conducted by shower tray manufacturer, Just Trays, has revealed that out of 1,000 UK residents surveyed, 82.2% of people have experienced a slip in the shower. And yet, whilst over half of consumers view the thought of slipping in the bathroom as a concern, many do absolutely nothing about it.
Slips in showers can pose significant hazards, especially to older or more vulnerable individuals who may have mobility difficulties. In fact, Age UK reported that 6 people over the age of 65 fall every minute in the UK, with around 3.4million people over 65 suffer a fall that causes a serious injury (or even death).
Yet despite all of this concern, in JT’s recent study, only 32% of people stated that they religiously use an anti-slip mat in the shower, with most of the nation choosing to shower without, because it ‘ruins the aesthetic’ of the bathroom (21.6%), it’s ‘an additional thing to clean trap dirt’ (50.6%) or they simply ‘don’t like the feel of them’ (27.5%).
John Schofield, sales & marketing manager at Just Trays, said: “It’s concerning to see the extent to which consumers are still putting themselves at risk with the safety of their showering experience, with 8 in 10 adults having experienced a slip in the shower. Our survey also discovered that 41% of people didn’t know they could add an anti-slip coating to their showers, to avoid all of the drawbacks that they dislike about anti-slip mats. So it’s clear that there is still some education to do about anti-slip trays. For most consumers, the term ‘anti-slip’ brings to mind the image of unsightly rubber shower mats that ruin aesthetics, age quickly, and generate a build-up of dirt, which is difficult to clean."
He added: “Here at JT, 1 out of 5 of our shower tray sales to retailers are now anti-slip, which has seen continuous growth over the last 10 years since we launched the innovation. By offering anti-slip as an additional feature, there’s a fantastic margin opportunity for our customers to take advantage of here, benefitting everyone in the process. Yet, there’s still some way to go before every sale features anti-slip technology – so it’s up to bathroom retailers to start educating their clients on why anti-slip is the future of bathroom innovation.”
