Mattress Metrics

Today’s topic: Want lists

By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 1, 2010

Most popular home furnishings products for 2010
Percent of consumers planning to buy in the next 12 months

Consumer survey reveals mattresses a top priority

Here’s some great news for the men and women who sell mattresses for a living. Sleep sets are near the very top of the list of the products consumers intend to purchase this year.

These survey results were gathered in September of 2009, and since they reflect purchase intent for the 12 months starting in September, they paint a picture of the purchases that consumers intend to make through September of 2010. Will the consumers actually do what they say? Probably not; consumer priorities constantly shift. But the findings are broadly illustrative of the products that consumers intend to purchase.

And the findings put mattresses and box springs in elite company. Only area rugs score higher on consumer shopping lists, and by a single percentage point. Lamps are just behind mattresses, but at price points that are usually much lower. And mattresses have an edge over all of the other products cited.

This is better news than it might appear at first glance, given the depths of the declines in the mattress industry in recent years. Mattress units and dollars plunged last year, making 2009 the worst year in modern history for the mattress industry. And key economic indicators — the housing market, the unemployment rate and consumer confidence — remain challenged.

The fact that 22% of consumers intend to purchase a mattress shows that interest in mattresses remains strong. The mattress replacement cycle has expanded in recent years as consumers have delayed making mattress purchases. The strong showing for mattresses on this survey portends only good things for the industry.

Key take-away

Yes, Virginia, there is pent up demand for mattresses.