Working the Las Vegas Market as the editor of a bedding publication can be challenging, especially when there are 70+ showrooms displaying cool new bedding products. However, it also has its perks, like the occasional free lunch.
The best part of seeing so many showrooms is seeing how different trends are forming around the industry. Everyone’s doing their own thing, but it’s clear there are broader trends taking shape.
This market, it was exciting to see how these trends have naturally come together in each company and the benefits they offer consumers and retailers.
1. Foam encasement. From Molecule to Bedding Industries of America, foam encasements are in. And rightfully so. Have you ever tried to sit on the edge of your bed and tie your shoes? Without that extra firmness on the sides that the foam encasement offers, you slide right off. This may seem like a small feature, but it has huge selling power. It lends itself to physical presentation, which makes it great for RSAs selling in-store, and it’s a genuinely useful update that solidifies the high quality of a mattress.
2. Color coding. We process colors significantly faster than we do words. The brain can identify images in as little as 13 milliseconds. The “Stroop effect” is a psychological phenomenon that shows that naming the color of a word takes longer than reading the word itself because of the faster processing of text. All this to say, manufacturers who have been color-coding their mattresses might be on to something.
Once a sea of white rectangles, colors now range from gray to brown, black and blue. Mlily comes to mind, as it recently refreshed its mattress lineup and color-coded the cooling mattresses with blue signifiers sewn into the mattress ticking. Mattresses featuring copper had copper-colored signifiers. Beautyrest made the black bed a luxury symbol, and other manufacturers have picked that up to help break up the sea of white.
3. Proprietary foams. The industry has come a long way in terms of cooling technology. Instead of fighting about how many degrees cooler a mattress sleeps, manufacturers have turned to tried-and-true materials that have real benefits. Instead of simply being cold, many of these materials help pull heat out of a person’s body and through the mattress.
In that vein, many brands have found news ways to combat memory foam sleeping hot. 3Z Brands, Beautyrest, Molecule and others all highlighted proprietary foams that each company made to replace traditional memory foams. While all were slightly different, the connecting element was the ability of the foam to breathe significantly more than regular memory foam while still offering the feel that people enjoy.
4. Luxury options. Nearly every exhibitor recognizes the opportunity of the luxury category and offers mattresses to meet the need. From Posh+ Lavish, Vispring, Shifman, Diamond Mattress and many more, the luxury category may become a more competitive landscape this year.
Despite economic uncertainties, retailers are reporting success with higher-priced mattresses. Some have even adopted a luxury-only model. The key is helping the consumer understand the true value of the mattress — not just what it’s made of and the comfort level. And many exhibitors this market offered products that give retailers a story to tell.
Time will tell if these trends have staying power. For now, they are solving real problems both for consumers, who need a better night’s sleep, and for retailers, who need something unique and high quality to sell in times of low foot traffic.
