Selling Sleep

David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 18, 2013

Marketing overview
It's helpful to know how couples get along in bed, from a sleeping point of view. These findings indicate the importance of a sleep surface that provides comfort and support from edge to edge, because a relatively small number of consumers sleep cuddled up with their partners. Most consumers wind up on their own side of the bed at some point in night. And about one in 10 consumers reports sleeping in a separate bedroom from their partner.
     This research shows that the older consumers get, the more distant they are from their partners in bed. And that introduces the important issue of mattress size.

Applying the findings
This data is tailor made for touting the benefits of king-sized sleep sets for couples sleeping on a queen, and at least queen sized sleep sets for couples sleeping on a full-sized bed.
     Queen-sized sleep sets are the most popular size of bedding sold these days, but that size may not be big enough for many consumers, especially given the trend of each partner of settling into his or her side of the bed. King-size sleep sets increase the size of the retail ticket, of course, and they also help consumers get a better night of sleep in many cases.
     And a king-sized bed might help those 9% of consumers who say they and their partner sleep in separate bedrooms. Did those couples try a king-sized bed before deciding to sleep in separate rooms? The amount of additional room that a king bed provides is significant.
     This is a reminder, too, of the importance of displaying a number of king-sized sleep sets on retail floors, so that consumers can see how much more room is available when they step up to a king.

his, her sleeping styles

How would you describe the sleeping style you share with your partner?

Key demographic differences

+ Over half of the 18- to 34-year-olds cuddle and then part their separate ways, compared to just one-third of consumers in the 35 to 54 age bracket.

+ Consumers 55 and older are the least likely to cuddle and spoon.

Source: Better Sleep Council 2012 Consumer Survey