'Holy Grail' study spurs encouraging responses
David Perry, Executive Editor -- Furniture Today, March 25, 2007
My recent column on the possible discovery of bedding's "Holy Grail" sparked a flurry of e-mails. Retailers, producers and suppliers all asked me for more information. That's a good sign.
That column, you may recall, said that a study conducted at Oklahoma State University found that a new bed leads to better sleep and a better quality of life. The study provides scientific evidence of the critical link between mattress quality and sleep quality. It was published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. Remember that name.
Many wrote to ask how they could get a copy of the study, which was supported by a number of bedding groups. Dick Doyle, CEO of the International Sleep Products Assn., told me the study will be available on various ISPA Web sites. The main site is www.sleepproducts.org.
You can also read our coverage on the study by going to our Web page, www.furnituretoday.com, and typing the name Journal of Chiropractic Medicine in our search engine. In addition to my earlier column (Feb. 26), you will find a news story I wrote on the study.
It's encouraging that many of you want to learn more about that study. Dare I hope that it might really make a difference in how retailers promote?
One retailer wrote to say it would be beneficial to have details of that study on the sales floor "as evidence of why to buy a better mattress rather than 'low price, free frame, etc'."
I couldn't agree more. A good night's sleep is what our great new sleep sets deliver, and that's what we should be selling.
But some say I'm missing the importance of sale messages. "People just love to buy stuff when it's on sale, or when they get something for free with it, or if they don't have to pay for it for a year," wrote the head of an advertising firm that works in the home furnishings industry. "So don't be quite so hard on the 'sale' issue. People may need more than just a study to get them motivated to buy."
My response: Yes, we do have to catch the consumer's attention. Of course sales are part of the fabric of retail. But we must find ways to get beyond supposed huge savings and low prices. We need some fresh thinking on retail promotions.
My advertising agency correspondent said his company will be weaving the key points of the OSU study into its bedding commercials. That's excellent news.
I know that Rome wasn't built in a day. But I hope that all roads on the mattress promotion landscape eventually lead to the Empire of Better Sleep.
Contact David Perry at dperry@reedbusiness.com
