Consumers say that many features are important in a new mattress. But, and this is a crucial insight, most consumers are only willing to pay more for two of them. We will reveal those two features in a moment.
But first we must set the stage for this week’s column, in which I take a closer look at mattress insights gleaned from our recent Consumer Insights Now survey on consumer buying plans.
At the fall High Point Market, I shared some key mattress findings with bedding executives and got their thoughts on them. Sure, I’ve got my own ideas on many industry issues, but it’s always helpful to approach those issues with a focus on facts and what they might mean for the industry.
The bedding execs were particularly interested in our CIN research on the importance of various mattress features and benefits — and which of those features and benefits consumers are willing to pay more to obtain.
Topping the list of features that are important and worth paying more to secure is support. Almost three in four consumers — 72% — put support in that category, making it No. 1 on consumers’ lists of important features they will pay more for.
No. 2 on that list is pressure relief, cited by 54% of consumers.
And that’s it. None of the other features garnered more than a 50% share. That’s not to say that some of them are not important, but it is to say that the biggest market for features consumers are willing to pay more for includes just two.
This is a significant finding, one that should inform retail advertising practices every day. Retailers should be talking about the support their mattresses offer in virtually all of their ads, as an overwhelming majority of consumers say they are willing to pay more for a supportive mattress. They should also be talking about pressure relief; that feature matters to a majority of consumers.
Here’s how the rest fared when we asked consumers to identify the mattress features that are important to them and that they are willing to pay more to secure:
+Cooling features: 45%.
+Has a product warranty: 41%.
+Stain-resistant/performance fabrics: 37%.
+Motion separation: 24%.
+Made of sustainable/eco-friendly materials: 22%.
To be clear, there may still be opportunities to talk about some of those other features, even though their consumer appeal is much more limited.
Richard Fleck, president of Paramount Sleep Co., made that point when I showed him that list. Paramount has a new line that leans into a sustainability story, and I thought he might be disappointed to see that sustainability ranks at the bottom of the list.
But Fleck, being the good mattress marketer that he is, immediately saw the positive side of the sustainability finding. He told me that the 22% of consumers who identify sustainability as important and worth paying more to obtain represent a big market. And he’s right.
We will be sharing more important insights from our mattress research in future columns. Stay tuned for those.
