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Sealy system aims to transform shopping

By David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 5, 2006

Las Vegas — Sealy unveiled consumer-oriented, interactive technology here that it says could revolutionize the way consumers shop for and select a mattress.

The new touch-screen system, called Sealy Touch, is designed to simplify and enhance the consumer's in-store experience. Consumers answer a series of questions that help them zero in on the best type of bedding for them. The system then recommends Sealy and Stearns & Foster products that meet their needs.

Sealy showed the system at the Aladdin Hotel, where it also showcased its new flagship Posturepedic line. The line, expected to retail from $499 to $2,999 in queen, features consumer-inspired designs, advancements in pressure-point materials and technology and new in-store tools, according to Sealy officials. It also features fire-resistant materials throughout, a major move by Sealy to add such protection well in advance of a federal mattress flammability standard.

Sealy Touch is part of what the company is calling "the Posturepedic Experience," which it bills as a redesigned shopping experience. It creates an integrated consumer experience, combining the elements of in-store point-of-purchase materials, the new sealy.com Web site, new retail advertising materials, and the Sealy Touch system.

Together, those elements serve to engage consumers in a fun way, take the guesswork out of selecting a mattress, provide meaningful differentiation to consumers at the point of sale, and increase consumers' confidence in their bedding purchase, Sealy officials said.

The company says it is aiming to help consumers "Shop easily, choose wisely, sleep soundly."

Sealy Touch evolved from consumer research and was developed to give retail sales associates and consumers a common language. In initial testing, consumers said shopping was fun, and felt they were less likely to make a mistake.

Philip Dobbs, senior vice president of marketing, said the new Posturepedic line is a significant step forward for Sealy, "because we didn't stop at producing a great line of proprietary products at great value. We completely redesigned the way we operate, from research, design and manufacturing to the way we engage our retail customers and consumers in the Sealy Posturepedic experience."

Tracey Denton, core team leader for Sealy Posturepedic, said, "Consumers want better tools to select the right product for their particular needs, and alternatives to help them sleep soundly. Our consumer research has helped us create an engaging experience for consumers and ensure the Sealy Posturepedic brand is relevant and motivating."

Sealy has not set a date for an official rollout of the Sealy Touch system. It plans a limited test this spring.

Sealy's Tracey Denton with a new interactive screen, at right, in the Sealy Touch system.

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