Marketing Colonial LLC’s Mattress Shopper Study Reveals Consumer Confusion, Anxiety
By Gretchen Kast Today’s mattress consumers are more con- fused and frustrated than ever. That’s what Colonial LLC learned through its recent Mat- tress Shopper Study. While the research un- covered key pain points affecting the indus- try, the final findings were far from doom and gloom. In fact, the study reveals a wealth of opportunities for retailers willing to address customer worries. Conducted by Americas Research Group (A.R.G), the Mattress Shopper Study explored the habits and sentiments of mattress shop- pers across five major metro markets: Orange County, CA; Houston, TX; Atlanta, GA; and New York, NY. Instead of delivering the study online, which tends to skew the results to- wards consumers who are more digitally savvy, Colonial and A.R.G opted for live phone inter- views. This approach encouraged respondents to share more nuanced information. The group dialed 33,000 random consumers, resulting in 16,000 live conversations. “The key takeaway from the study—and the most important aspect for traditional retailers and manufacturers to consider—is the need to reduce the consumers concerns about shop- ping for a mattress,” said Mark Hobson, former president and current advisor of Colonial LLC. The study found that today’s mattress shoppers are increasingly unsure of where to shop and what to shop for, overwhelmed by an endless amount of product choices and unsubstantiated marketing claims. As a result, many consumers are choosing not to buy at all. The survey found that 36% of people who researched or shopped for a new mattress in the past 12 months did not end up buying one
anywhere. This problem has worsened in re- cent years; less than 15 years ago, fewer than 10% of mattress shoppers abandoned their purchasing journey without buying.
What is driving these trends?
One of the most intriguing revelations from Colonial’s study was that consumers are nervous about making a mistake when pur- chasing a new bed. Almost one in four (24%) respondents said that they worry about spend- ing too much on a new mattress.
Since the mattress marketplace is awash with sales claims, it can be difficult for con- sumers to compare pricing from store to store. Additionally, the regularity of promotional events has made consumers hesitant to buy at full price lest they miss out on a discount. For some shoppers, this anxiety is rooted in past experiences. Almost one in five (19%) con- sumers reported being unhappy with a previ- ous mattress purchase because the new bed became less comfortable over time, did not provide the same level of support or simply felt different than the one they tested in the store. Colonial concluded that customers who be- lieve they made a mistake in the past fear that it will happen again; either they will tire of their new mattress soon after purchase or they’ll miss the product they currently sleep on. “When consumers fear they may make a mistake, typically two things will happen,” Hob- son explained. “One: they may choose not to buy anything at all, aiding the decline in close rates. Two: they might seek out less expensive solutions to their problem, i.e. less expensive beds at the current store, less expensive beds at alternate stores or an even less expensive
RESEARCHED or SHOPPED for a new mattress in the past 12 months DIDNOT BUY anywhere
36% Colonial LLC’s Mattress Shopper Study
solution like a new mattress pad, topper, pil- lows or sheets to help them sleep better.” On the bright side, the fear of making the wrong choice is often strong enough to drive consumers to the store to rest-test. Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, Colonial found that 75% of consumers still want to buy their mattress at a retail store— and 73% say they must lie on a bed before buying, regardless of the assurance promised by online return guarantees.
But the gap between potential in-store shop- pers and actual buyers highlights some key problems the industry must address. In order to help assuage anxiety and regain a sense of trust, retailers need to understand consumers’ worries and deliver more meaningful solutions. So what can retailers do? Head over to
SleepRetailer.com to learn more about key retail strategies. Visit
colonialllc.com
of consumers who
55% 14 Sleep Retailer / Summer 2018
of consumers DID NOT DO ANY RESEARCH prior to going to their local mattress retailer Colonial LLC’s Mattress Shopper Study
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