Gel: The next big thing in mattresses?
In our neverending quest to keep you on the cutting edge of what is happening in the mattress industry, we bring you this thought: Gel has a bright future.
Ralph Rossdeutscher, president of Natura, recently made an investment in the gel category, acquiring gel bedding producer NexGel, based in Alpine, Utah. Natura, a company whose products I admire, will now add its marketing firepower to the NexGel line, which will be shown in Natura’s Las Vegas showroom in a few weeks.
I asked Rossdeutscher about gel’s prospects: “I think it has a huge future,” he replied. “It has done so well in the medical field with its pressure relief story.”
You might expect Rossdeutscher to be excited about his newest sleep technology (and he is), but he’s not the only one who sees bright days ahead for gel. I’ve heard similar comments recently from some of the savviest mattress marketers in the industry.
What do you think about gel’s prospects?
Mattress Man commented:
There are two types of gel that I have heard of. One is called Intelli-Gel which has 10 years of proven history in hospitals and in retail. The other is called Ortho-gel or Nexgel from which I understand is a knock off or a "watered down" version on the Intelli-Gel. From what I hear it has less than one year of history and isnt nearly as durable as the Intelli-Gel.
JW commented:
Is it a value? Are the retails in the range that the consumer will believe and pay for the benefits?
Julia Rosien commented:
Thanks for sharing our good news David - we're pretty excited at Natura to be taking on this venture.
To answer Lisa's question, the gel beds last a loooooong time. From independent tests, we know they last at least 30 years with less than an 1/8" change from the day they're bought.
This is an opportunity for Natura and consumers looking for the unique and innovative pressure-point relief a gel mattress can provide.
Julia Rosien
Communications Director, Natura World Inc
Warren Littrell commented:
We tried to market it about seven years ago when I was affiliated with the Spring Air plant in Chicago. There was very little interest at that time. But maybe time will tell. Who knows?
Lisa S. commented:
I looked at it a few years ago with K-Med. Again recently with another company. Serta showed something with gel at market last year. Here is what I don't understand- How long does gel last? I think of my toys growing up where the plastics touched each other and deformed. I'm sure that isn't the case here, but I really would like to know. If Ralph made a decision to go that direction, I respect it. He is a smart guy.
