The sticky situation surrounding naming bumper feet

Self-adhesive bumper feet, a small but extremely useful product with an identity problem. 

These ingenious adhesive protectors—used to prevent scratches, reduce noise, stop vibrations, and keep items from sliding—are found worldwide in industries ranging from electronics to hospitality. Yet, the lack of a standardised name creates a confusing tangle of terms: rubber feet, bumper feet, bumper stops, bumps, pads, dots, bumpons, grippers or simply bumpers. This ambiguity confuses customers, muddles searches, and complicates the purchase of such a simple product. 

Let’s get stuck into this naming conundrum and explore why it’s such a challenge for both retailers such as ourselves and you, the customer.

Material misconceptions

One of the issues with naming these products is due to material misconception. Many call these products "rubber feet," a term that on the face of it, seems straightforward and descriptive. After all, they do of course look and feel rubbery. However, the reality is more complex. While some feet are indeed made of rubbers such as silicone, many others, including Happy Bananas products, are made from polyurethane, a versatile, durable, and cost-effective synthetic material. As we wrote about in a previous post, polyurethane offers similar flexibility and resilience but isn’t actually rubber. Calling these adhesive products "rubber feet" could help customers find the items but technically we are being accurate with this term. A customer searching "rubber feet" online might feel they are buying a product made from rubber when this is not actually the case. 

Bumps in the road with terminology

We also have the role of the functional naming chaos. "Bumper feet" and "bumper stops" suggest their role: absorbing impact or halting movement. These terms are popular in industrial and furniture contexts, where they protect surfaces or stabilize equipment. Yet, "bumps" or "dots" imply a simpler, shape-focused identity. Meanwhile, "pads" evokes a flatter, broader profile, often used for anti-slip or cushioning purposes. Each term carries a slightly different connotation, and frustratingly none of these names fully capture the product’s versatility. A consumer looking to prevent a coaster from sliding might search "pads," missing "bumper feet" listings, while someone needing vibration or sound dampening for a machine might overlook "sticky dots."

This naming mess directly impacts discoverability

Online shopping relies on precise search terms, but with no universal standard, customers can be sent up the garden path. A Google or Amazon search for "rubber feet" might yield unrelated items such as shoe insoles. In physical stores, the problem persists: are they in the "hardware" aisle under "bumpers", the "furniture" section as "pads" or as “grippers” in “office supplies”? E-commerce platforms and retailers are often forced to use inadequate categorisation, and product descriptions vary wildly. Someone needing a bumper for a glass tabletop might give up after fruitless searches, unaware the solution hides under an alternative label. Much of this occurs because the product is a victim of it's own versatility. Bumper feet are multi-purpose so it's very difficult to confidently put them in a single category. 

Businesses lose sales when customers can’t find products. Manufacturers struggle to market effectively, torn between descriptive and technical terms like "self-adhesive bumper feet" and snappy, imprecise ones like "dots." Buyers, engineers or designers—need clarity when purchasing these products, yet vague or mismatched names can mean they can buy the wrong item and then waste precious time searching again. The lack of consensus hampers industry communication, with suppliers, retailers, and consumers often using different names at various times.

So, what’s the fix? 

Standardising terminology seems ideal—we at Happy Bananas prefer to use "self-adhesive bumper feet" as a catch-all, sometimes with material specifics (e.g., "polyurethane bumper feet") for clarity. Yet, others persist with the traditional rubber tag, and of course regional and industry preferences vary. For now, education helps: manufacturers and retailers can still list products under multiple terms, with clear descriptions and search tags. Customers, armed with knowledge, can try searching variations— "bumpers," "adhesive feet," "sticky pads"—and also check the specifications to make sure they are purchasing what they require. 

We do though hope that Self-adhesive bumper feet or whatever you currently call them, can stick to one name in the future!