Shopping Cart Armrest Handles are patented shopping cart implements designed to improve the shopping experience of in-store retail customers who are mobile enough to use a shopping cart but suffer from impairments and/or pains that may limit the amount of time they can spend upright and the distance they can cover. This solution protects customers’ dignity and promotes self-reliance while giving them extra confidence due to improved stability and balance. It also provides comfort and relief for able-bodied shoppers who become fatigued during extended shopping excursions.
Enhancing customer mobility and endurance will increase dwell time and distance covered while improving the overall shopping experience by alleviating physical discomforts which will allow for increased focus on intended shopping tasks while also affording them extra time to browse for impulse purchases.
Shopping Cart Armrest Handles are designed to be user-friendly, comfortable, durable, and easily maintained. The push-button latch mechanism allows for indexing of the armrest height in one-inch increments to accommodate a wide range of statures. The wide, rounded armrests provide an ergonomic surface upon which to transfer a portion of a customer’s body weight to the shopping cart to reduce the load on their lower extremities and back. The handles are positioned above the cart’s rear wheels to ensure the customer’s weight is applied forward enough to prevent the cart from tipping backwards easily. The armrest handles are oriented to allow the customer to effortlessly steer the basket while staying engaged with the Armrest Handles.
The Armrest Handles can be integrated into new/refurbished carts or retrofitted to existing carts:
INTEGRATION - Armrest Handles can be incorporated into new or refurbished carts with minimal disruption to current production or remanufacturing lines since the outer telescoping tube is the only part that interfaces directly with the cart. The armrest T-handle (with inner telescoping tube) and latch assemblies can be manufactured in parallel and combined with the cart downstream.
RETROFIT - Armrest Handles can be designed and manufactured as add-on fixtures to be mounted as a final production step or in-store by a trained associate.
There are currently 76 million Baby Boomers—born between 1946 and 1964, ages 55 to 73—living in the US with approximately 10,000 turning 65 each day.1 It is estimated that around 70% of Americans in this age group are overweight2 and over 40% are obese3 which, when compounded with age, increases the likelihood of mobility problems associated with degenerative conditions in knees, hips, backs, ankles, and feet. This growing segment is estimated to control about 70% of the disposable income in the US.4
Mobility challenges can burden anyone, young and old alike. Both chronic (obesity, arthritis, neuromuscular disease) and acute (injuries, surgeries) conditions can put customers in a predicament wherein walking is a struggle but perhaps not enough of an impediment to justify using a motorized shopping scooter. Obesity is a prevalent condition commonly associated with limited mobility and is still on the rise. The reasons for needing just a little assistance are numerous, and tangibly demonstrating concern for such impediments wouldn’t go unnoticed, especially as customers evolve to recognize and demand that loyalty must be a two-way street.
It stands to reason that alleviating a customer’s physical impediments would make them more capable of completing their intended purchases while having the added benefit of putting them in a more positive, liberated state of mind that could increase impulsive spending. If most customers who use Armrest Handles extend their shopping time and increase their total purchase, the return on investment could be billions of dollars in annual revenue for a large retailer.
In today’s competitive, experience-focused retail market, providing this level of assistance in such a visible manner could create a measurable viral PR buzz. Providing Armrest Handles would likely be seen as an investment in customer well-being and could bolster customer loyalty for retailers in a new way. It could be the nudge a hesitant customer needs to shop in-store instead of shopping online where competition is higher and loyalty is lower. With exclusive rights to deploy Armrest Handles across the country, a retailer could be seen as trendsetters in this space.
Byrd Enterprises is seeking either the outright sale of its intellectual property to a major retailer or an exclusive rights licensing agreement with a major shopping cart manufacturer. Our intellectual property includes a US Utility Patent (#11,059,508), issued on July 13, 2021, along with pending US and international design patents. In the case of a licensing agreement with a manufacturer, we would encourage them to pursue an exclusive rights agreement with a major retailer to provide them with a competitive advantage and create a premium value that could make our licensing agreement more lucrative.
As a condition of sale or licensing agreement, Byrd Enterprises is prepared to work closely with a cart manufacturer to provide a full transfer of technical knowledge and lessons learned to guarantee the best possible final product and seamless integration into current carts.
(click image to read full article)
