by Trends in the bedding industry have changed quite a bit as the category itself has been expanded to include more than just mattresses — think smart beds, adjustable bases, pillows and sheets.
As we near the Las Vegas Market, a few people around the industry have asked me what trends they can expect to see gaining popularity in 2024. Here are a few up-and-coming trends that you’re sure to see at the market in Vegas.
1. Health and wellness. While this might be one of the biggest trends in the industry right now, I believe it is going beyond a trend and becoming more of a movement. From Tempur to Sleep Nerdzzz, Dawn House Living and so many more, manufacturers are creating more products that address health, and that’s only going to become more true as we go into 2024.
Better sleep has always been the main goal when it came to mattresses, but that message wasn’t relayed through salespeople very well until about 15 years ago. That changed everything, and mattress retailers started selling sleep instead of white rectangles. Now, that shift may happen again, with health and wellness as the main goal — because sleep is heavily tied to wellness. Because of this, retailers will start selling more than just better sleep — a healthy, happy and active lifestyle that sleep helps create.
2. The rise of split heads. At the summer Vegas market, I saw a few split-head models that exhibitors told me were filling a void in the industry for those sleepers with different sleep preferences — nearly everyone. I’ve spoken to many in the industry who agree that split heads will gain major popularity throughout 2024, including special sheet sets to fit those models.
Over the past few years, the industry has realized that couples sleep differently and have different pain points they want to address with their adjustable base. They can’t get that from a traditional adjustable base, and today more than ever consumers want personalized comfort, which is exactly what a split head provides.
3. Premium models reign. One thing we’re going to start seeing every manufacturer offer if they don’t already is a premium model. And that’s because several retailers told me they are having success with these higher-ticket products, as properly educated customers are willing to pay more. Some retailers are even converting their whole stores to premium models only, cutting out the lower-priced models that can be matched or beat online.
This feels like a paradigm shift in the industry for a few reasons. First, retailers not only don’t have to compete with as much online competition as those retailers move into brick-and-mortar stores. But also, the fact that consumers will buy more expensive mattresses — despite inflation and a possible recession — shows that with the right education and sales training these models can bring up the average sale price and make stores more money.
4. Adjustables are only getting started. The adjustable base “boom” may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean they still shouldn’t be attached to every mattress sale. If anything, the “boom” brought these sleep products to consumers’ attention, and now when they see one in the store they know what it is.
The opportunity here is to train RSAs to better sell these items and make customers realize the benefits they offer. Tying back to the health and wellness movement, if the industry can position adjustable bases as important to sleep as mattresses, everyone will buy one.
Trends come and go, and some can even change on a dime. But paying attention to the ones with sticking power and looking ahead to see how these may continue and evolve in the future is critical to the industry’s success.
