Art Van's Bedding Playbook Spotlights Sleep Accessories
David Perry -- Furniture Today, June 16, 2011
David Perry Executive editor
Pure Sleep is the banner for Art Van Furniture's mattress business. And it's a good one.
The Warren, Mich.-based furniture powerhouse, which currently puts half of the bedding shoppers in Michigan to sleep with its mattresses, is aggressively expanding its bedding business. It recently completed a $6 million investment in its bedding program by expanding and renovating almost three dozen bedding departments in its stores, and opening three freestanding stores, all under the Pure Sleep umbrella. And Art Van said it may convert some of its 28 recently acquired Mattress World stores to the Pure Sleep brand.
Pure Sleep is a catchy name. It conjures up images of clean, healthy sleep, just the restorative tonic we all need to perform at our best the next day.
But Art Van is doing something else with its branding. It is defining Pure Sleep as a three-part sleep solution purchase composed of the bed, the proper pillow and a mattress protector.
To get the best possible sleep, the retailer says, consumers need "the right sleep system." And that includes "a mattress for proper support and comfort," "a foundation to work with your mattress," "a pillow to correct spinal alignment" and "a mattress protector to safeguard your investment," Art Van says.
Diane Charles, director of corporate communications at Art Van, explained how the retailer stresses the importance of the bed, pillow and mattress protector in a presentation at Furniture/Today's recent Bedding Conference. That's a winning strategy.
What I like about it is that it makes the sleep accessories an integral part of the mattress purchase process. And that's as it should be. We all know that a new bed paired with an old, worn-out pillow is a prescription for an unhappy consumer. And we also know that a mattress protector is a good way to ensure a healthy sleep environment - and to safeguard that considerable investment in a new sleep set.
By defining Pure Sleep as consisting of the sleep set, the proper pillow and a good mattress protector Art Van is helping consumers see that the right sleep system is needed for a great night of sleep. Framing the issue in those terms will help retail sales associates sell those accessories as critical components of a good night of sleep, not just add-on sales designed to boost sales tickets.
Art Van is a full-line furniture store that thrives in the mattress category. The retailer promotes bedding heavily, invests in the category, and focuses on selling better sleep.
Want to boost your mattress business? Take a page from the Art Van playbook and talk about the importance of the sleep set, the pillow and mattress protector.
Contact David Perry at dperry@furnituretoday.com www.furnituretoday.com
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