Dear furniture stores: There's bucks in bedding
David Perry, Executive editor -- Furniture Today, March 2, 2003
This week we make our points in the form of an open letter to furniture stores and other retailers who carry bedding.
Dear busy executive:
I know you've got a lot to do these days, but I want to take just a few moments to discuss the very latest consumer research from your friends at Furniture/Today.
In our Feb. 24 issue we published the findings of our third major consumer survey, in which 31,505 consumer households told us what furniture they shopped for and bought in 2002 and what they plan to buy in 2003.
This, if we can toot our own horn just a bit, is excellent research. The profile of the responding households closely matches the demographic characteristics of all U.S. households. That, coupled with the large sample size and a response rate of 63%, means the data can be projected nationally with a margin of error of less than 1%.
Our survey looked at 23 home furnishings categories. And the clear winner, according to consumers, is bedding.
Here's what our report said about the mattress/box spring category:
"Bedding continues to be the category more American households buy than any other. Last year, 10.8% of U.S. households purchased bedding, slightly more than the 10.6% of households that made a bedding purchase in 2000. Bedding, in fact, was one of the few categories that saw an increase in the percentage of households making a purchase in 2002 compared with 2000."
Overall, 15.1% of the responding households shopped for bedding in 2002. No case goods or upholstery product category was even remotely close; all are in the single digits. Only the decorative accessories category pulled more consumers into stores last year.
What does this mean for you? Run more bedding promotions. It really is that simple. Since more consumers are looking for bedding than any case goods or upholstery products, you are missing a big opportunity if you aren't talking about bedding all the time.
Don't run an ad that promotes only master bedroom or reclining chairs. Include bedding in every ad you run. It's simple arithmetic. You've got a much better chance of catching a consumer's eye if you always promote bedding.
And those bedding shoppers are much more likely to become bedding buyers than consumers shopping for any case goods or upholstery category. More consumers are looking for bedding, and those consumers are buying at a high rate.
This year isn't shaping up as the strongest one on record. Help your business — and meet your consumers' wants and needs — by making bedding an even more important part of your promotional strategy. It's money in your bank.
Best wishes for a successful year in 2003.
Choosing a mattress retailer
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