Leaders weigh in on why segment is growing so fast
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, December 31, 2006
High Point — Why is specialty sleep growing faster than conventional innerspring bedding?
Leading specialty sleep producers offer several answers to that all-important question, ranging from the newness of their category to the power of the consumer messages being delivered by Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort, to the deep, restful sleep that they say their products provide.
Furniture/Today recently surveyed several top producers in the specialty sleep category to get their opinions on key issues in that arena.
Here's what executives said on the question of why specialty sleep is outpacing conventional bedding:
Chris Henning, president of Tempur-Pedic Retail: "The conventional innerspring bedding category has been around for nearly 100 years. We all know that consumers today are looking for new ways to improve every aspect of their lives, including sleep, and are looking to technology for the answer. Tempur-Pedic is offering advanced, superior bedding products, and most importantly, deep, rejuvenating sleep, to today's consumers."
Denny Boyd, president of Boyd Specialty Sleep: "The demographics of the Baby Boomers and their propensity to spend more dollars on a mattress. Also, the rise of the percentage of 'problem sleepers' is another factor."
David Karr, president of Comfortaire: "The mattress-buying process is not a pleasant one for the consumer. Each and every survey comes back with the same results. The consumer is 'confused' and 'frustrated' with the process. The specialty category is being driven by Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort. Both drive a strong, understandable and believable message to the consumer that takes confusion and frustration out of the buying process. Thus, the consumer hears the message, understands the message and reacts to the message by buying. For all of the branding done by the traditional companies, none has delivered as strong and actionable a message as Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort."
Mike Zippelli, CEO of Dormia: "Consumers see our products as a solution to getting a better night's sleep. They are far more health conscious and willing to make an investment in a mattress that will provide a good and restorative rest. Visco and latex mattresses provide great support, are comfortable, and are increasingly being sold at tremendous values as compared to traditional innerspring mattresses."
Larry Klein, vice president of sales at Natura: "Specialty sleep is enjoying great gains due to heavy consumer advertising by Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort that tells people they need the conforming support of memory foam and air to get a good night's sleep."
Mark Miller, president of InnoMax: "We feel the key growth factor in one of InnoMax's primary specialty sleep categories is the adjustability of air. Empowering consumers with the capability to adjust levels of support is an extremely desirable feature that is not available in conventional innerspring bedding."
Mark Strobel, president of Strobel Technologies: "The innerspring mattress was invented and patented in 1871 by Heinrich Westphal in Berlin, yet we still call these regular beds. Specialty sleep should be called 'technology sleep' because it represents all the newer technologies invented after innerspring mattresses. Latex was invented in the early 1950s, polyurethane foam in the late 1950s, water and air beds in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and memory foam in the 1990s and 2000s. All of these technologies represent an improvement over the innerspring mattress, which was a product of the industrial revolution of the late 1800s. People want the latest technologies that will improve their lives, health and comfort. Specialty sleep fulfills this need and people will pay more for it. So, yes, specialty sleep will continue to grow faster than innersprings."
