In an effort to boost profitability and sales for wholesalers, Alsons is encouraging showroom salespeople to suggest hand showers as an add-on sale to the basic showerhead. Hand showers can be used to wash pets or water plants, among other functions.

“We're trying to make sure showerheads and hand sprays get attention,” said Kevin Buckner, vice president/marketing at Alsons. “The average showroom salesperson is taxed for time. The message we want to communicate is the upsell potential in additional sales and profits for each transaction.”

A few extra minutes can turn a quick showerhead sale into a more profitable value-added transaction with the purchase of a hand shower. Alsons offers a selling guide to help showroom salespeople find matching pieces and finishes.

“What people are looking for is performance,” Buckner said. “They want to know when they get in the shower it will be great.”

The intensity of the spray and how vigorous it is are factors, he explained. Almost 80% of consumers surveyed said they like a nice full-coverage spray. Less than 10% use a massage spray full time, while about 20% use a combination. Only about 30% of U.S. consumers have hand showers, he said.

Handheld showers are growing, according to Alexander Lorenz, president of Lorenz Industries. “We sell more of them in Europe,” he said. “Here they are becoming an accessory.”

U.S. consumers will not abandon the traditional shower, but there is a strong trend toward custom showers, Lorenz said.