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Latex International turns up the heat in pillows

By David Perry -- Furniture Today, October 19, 2006

Shelton, Conn. — Mike Lorelli, CEO of Latex International, got some surprising information when he sat in on a pillow focus group his company was conducting.

"It was unbelievable how emotionally tied those consumers were to their pillows," he said. Lorelli asked the members of one focus group if they "have ever cheated on their pillows."

Those focus groups were an important reminder that Latex International's growing pillow program is meeting more than just the physical needs of sleepers around the country.

LI officials say that pillows meet a wide variety of needs for retailers and consumers alike. As Lorelli saw first-hand, consumers establish a bond with their pillow, a product that they embrace — literally — throughout the night. But it's more than just an emotional link — the right pillow provides just the right support for the consumer, helping her sleep comfortably.

Despite those benefits, pillows don't get enough marketing support, LI officials contend. "This is such an under-marketed category," Lorelli said.

Latex International is turning up the marketing heat with its RejuveNite pillow program, successfully launched at the Las Vegas Market last summer. "We're very happy" with the progress of that program, Lorelli said, adding that the company is adding salespeople for the line.

RejuveNite pillows, retailing at about $60 and up, are aimed at furniture and bedding retailers. Placements are running significantly ahead of initial projections, LI officials said.

The line offers five different designs and features Talalay latex, which is sometimes combined with other materials like down. Pillows are designed for side, stomach and back sleepers.

A key to that pillow program is that it brings pillows into the mattress sales process. LI's new ComfortMatch program introduces pillows as a component of a "complete sleep system," said Kevin Stein, vice president of marketing.

Chris Bunce, national sales manager for RejuveNite, said that pillows offer three important benefits for retailers:

They can help them sell more mattresses.
They can help them stand out from their competitors.
They can help them reduce comfort returns.

"The pillow is not just an accessory sale," Bunce noted. He said that "the right mattress and the right pillow" provide "total body support" to consumers. In addition, he said, pillows play a vital role in supporting the key vertebrae that comprise the "arc of life" for the body.

Retailers who can address the health benefits of pillows stand apart from other retailers in the market, Bunce said. And selling pillows with mattresses helps keeps mattresses sold, he continued. An unsupportive pillow may have been part of the consumer's sleep problem; a new bed alone won't solve that problem.

While many bedding retailers have given pillows away as part of mattress promotions, retailers who build the value story in pillows don't need to take that step, according to Bunce.

Lorelli noted that pillows enhance the value of the bed, help raise average unit selling prices, and can provide meaningful profits. "It's a great profit story," he said.

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