Metal beds provide great add-on sales
David Perry, Executive editor -- Furniture Today, January 5, 2003
Thanks to those of you who called me to task for my recent column on bedding add-on sales.
As you may recall, that column, which appeared in this space on Dec. 2, discussed the challenges of selling other products as add-on sales to the mattress. I said that add-on sales in bedding "include bed frames, comforters, sheets, mattress pads and pillows, among other things."
What I didn't mention was metal beds.
Frankly, I blew that one. Metal beds are an obvious add-on sale. I do know this, since I cover the metal bed category. But for some reason — advancing age, perhaps? — I didn't include my own category. Maybe I've been lying down on too many mattresses.
Well, a number of you thoughtfully noted my omission.
"Dave, you blew it in your column on add-on sales," one metal bed sales representative wrote. "The most obvious add-on is a new bed to cradle the new set of bedding. So many people walk out and go back to the furniture store to buy that bed because no one suggests they invest in a new bed while doing the same with a new mattress set.
"Anyone changing sizes in bedding needs a new bed as well," this rep continued. "Too often the mattress salesperson is oblivious to that fact — this despite the fact that numerous styles of both wood and metal beds are usually displayed on their floor. No one — with rare exceptions — assumes the need for that new bed."
A bed that is properly presented "can double the ticket sale," this rep wrote.
Another metal bed rep made some similar points: "My associates and I work the bedding stores and furniture stores that have bedding departments. We try to sell them on the idea that, using no additional floor space, they can show our headboards and beds in their bedding departments for the extra, large add-on sale."
A while back, this rep added, the metal bed exec whose line he carried encouraged him to approach a promising retailer.
"Lo and behold," the rep said, "the retailer went along with the experiment and sold over $1.5 million in add-on volume yearly, without using any additional showroom space. The idea has caught on and is still working."
That's a nice testimonial to the power of metal beds as an add-on sale. Note that this volume was added without the need to add any square footage for the products. That's a great selling point for metal beds.
Store designer Connie Post has some interesting ideas on how to sell more metal beds in bedding departments. I'll share them with you in a future column. Hey, I've got to make amends for momentarily forgetting about the power of metal beds.
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