Consumers of tomorrow developing bad sleep habits

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, January 30, 2012

We admit that we haven't heard a lot about Gen Z consumers. But this poll data from the National Sleep Foundation provides an intriguing snapshot of the sleep habits of those consumers - who are between the ages of 13 and 18. While they already buy plenty of things, I think it's helpful to view them as the consumers of tomorrow, because they will become home furnishings consumers in their own right when they get out of the home and establish their own lives.
    With a name like "Generation Z," you might think these consumers would be getting plenty of ZZZs - good sleep. But, sadly, that's not the case. This group, more than any of the four demographic groups studied by the NSF in this poll, is not getting enough sleep on weeknights. Six in 10 of these consumers (61%) are in that category, a far higher percentage than in any of the other groups. The Gen Z consumers should be getting eight hours of sleep, but they are averaging just seven hours and 26 minutes per weeknight.
     Retail sales associates can use this information to help parents better understand the sleep needs of their children. And it also points to the importance of a good bed for those children. And that can be a game changer at retail, boosting the quality of beds that parents are buying for their children.

Gen Z

Sleep patterns of Gen Z (13-18 years old)

Average weekday wake time: 6:17 a.m.

Average weeknight hours slept: 7 hours, 26 minutes

Percent getting inadequate sleep on weeknights: 61%

Average weeknight bed time: 11:02 p.m.

Source: National Sleep Foundation’s 2011 Sleep in America Poll, Communications Technology in the Bedroom