What women want
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 25, 2002
Talk to a dozen diverse yet successful bedding retailers, and it becomes clear that they share several common elements in their approach to the category. Chief among them is the recognition that the primary customer is a woman.
That basic truth may not have driven all the dirty-window bedding shops out of business, but it's certainly created a large and growing opportunity for the new breed of retail sleep emporiums. The hard-sell on price has been replaced by a discussion on the value of a good night's sleep. The best sleep shops seem to have:
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PLEASANT STORES Good locations, clean and spacious displays, nice colors and perhaps even a scented candle. These places are remarkably civilized.
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SLEEP FIXATIONS In focusing on features and benefits — a good night's rest— rather than the bottom dollar, bedding retailers have dramatically increased their average sale in the last five years, often by 30% or even 40%.
