Internet mattress sales: Big future?

The question was--what will be the fastest growth bedding segment to the consumer. Since the base of internet sales is very small the obvious answer was internet sales as a % will have the largest increase. I am not talking major market share impact but % over existing sales.

Raj is spot-on with his comments. The world is not going to conform to what the industry perceives itself to be. The consumer will drive channels. Wherever she feels the most comfortable is where she will buy. She will not yield to pressure. She will join you if you can provide value and service. Price may be a key function but not the only one.

Hey as far as medical devices go...I'd say prescriptions qualify! I get countless email blasts for low cost meds! If it's a commodity, like appliances, or now some bedding it can and will be shopped for best price. Then a consumer needs to make a decision whether or not they are willing to risk buying with the press of a key or the shake of the hand. If the buying experience is better/more trustworthy on-line than in the store with the nicotine stained hands of a wide tied badger. Then the consumer will press the key. Let's face it though, the more comfortable consumers get shopping on-line the more from the furniture and mattress category will go that direction. Consumers are performing on-line searches with more confidence and better results. Sometimes they bring the results in to where they tested the bed to see if the store is willing to negotiate and sometimes they press the key! At the end of the day it's about price!

If the Brick & Mortar bedding stores all disappear, where do you expect the consumer to test the comfort of the mattress? The internet is great but let's not fool ourselves to think that the consumer is making a bedding purchase just because of free shipping, no sales tax, etc. We all use the Brick & Mortar stores to actually view/test the products, gather info, then race home to find it cheaper online..

Bedding should be looked at as a medical device, not as something to get a "deal" on like a car or a computer. You dont buy a pacemaker on the internet , get fitted for dentures or prescription glasses either. You dont want to go blind buying the wrong glasses and you shouldnt buy a mattress that will leave you crippled ...Changing perception to babyboomers who dont like to be uncomfortable will be the marketing prescription for a healthy bottom line and happy consumers. Green products are a nice diversion of thought process at this point...needs to be brought full circle

Lisa: You can have my mandatory name, but our company has set up our blogs to encourage widespread comments - and not just from people who use their names. Are the comments off topic on occasion? Yes. But overall, we feel a largely open discussion format is healthy for the industry.

Dave, I was having a discussion yesterday with someone you know well about the blogs. Can we please have mandatory names? Some people have started to use this as their platform for other things unrelated to the blog at hand.

Well said Mark Quinn. Our Country put systems and laws in place to reward honest hard work and find the cheaters.

It appears that history will side with the most efficient form of distribution. Evidence the clubs and the Big Box. All channels have a place based on criteria important to the individual customer. Some go to a Wine store for wine while others shop at Sam's. The growth depends on innovation.

In reference to the comment made about innersprings let me say that duties are in place because certain manufacturers in China and other countries were selling their innerspings at prices so low, they violated U.S. trade laws. As confirmed by an independent government agency, these imports were injuring the entire U.S. innerspring industry and caused the closing of multiple factories and hundreds of job losses. Leggett and Platt has championed a fair, level playing field. Companies that violate these rules or try to cheat the system should not be rewarded.

“Will Internet sales grow at an even faster rate?” I have been in internet marketing for the last 9 years. I think the rate will increase as time passes with online market share of solely online retailers and department stores. However, mattress retailers need to decide if they are going to be a great internet company or a great brick and mortar business with a website that tells your story. As more internet buyers or searchers increase, there will be a lot of new online retail players causing clutter and price confusion. If you are a brick and mortar business, you are not going to be able to compete against online mattress retailers without interruption with your in store business model. Department stores may do the best due to their wide variety of merchandise and shopper loyalty. You are going to have some online clients purchase sight unseen and more will purchase online because they tried it.

Nothing to do with internet but all should know innerspring anti dumping tariffs hurt my company bad. All started and pushed by Leggett & Platt. question --does not the fact that Leggett and Platt is a virtual monopoly in US for innerspings hurt more people worse by creating higher than necessary innerspring prices. i think my company helped US people by having lower prices.

In the Furniture business the internet is nice to have to supplement the brick&mortar. Selling on the internet works great in a lot of categories-cd's,small electronics, identifiable products by model#. The furniture business is a nightmare in internet business simply because of the logistics and products rarely are identifiable as far as quality, comfort etc...That is why when Dial-A-Mattress did go bankrupt there were tons of returns laying around and no manufacturer agreeing to take them back. I guess if you can test a mattress by laying on your lap-top it will work. How do you test drive a beautyrest get the model and find it on the internet? you can't-everyone has private names for the ones they carry. As far as furniture goes you have the same problems because of all the cheap knock-offs of real furniture.

Lisa, Dial a Mattress went bankrupt from bad business decisions..not because the model wont work. There are severeal retailers that are thriving off of their internet business

There is a big difference in what we think vs. what we know. Great comments by everyone I am interested to hear more.

There is a big difference in what we think vs. what we know. Great comments by everyone I am interested to hear more.

The internet is here to stay and it is growing. On "Black Friday", sales at brick and mortar were up .5%, while the internet enjoyed 35% growth over last year. Cyber Monday was up 11%. A progressive thinker will find a way to tap this growing market instead of making excuses as to why it won't work, or denying its existence. If you're not selling on the internet, find a way that will work for your business, even if it means stealing a sale from your own store. Do it before somebody else does. The way our industry is shrinking, you'd think somebody would try a different way. Maybe this is it.

Re: There is precedent (Hey, how about you use your name?)
I agree Dial-A-Mattress built it, but what happened to them? They went bankrupt and then merged/were purchased by Sleepy's. See, you still need that brick and mortar. Warren and I are on the same page here.

In response to Warren, Dial-a-Mattress built one heck of a business doing exactly the same thing you say are obstacles to internet retailers. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Lisa makes some very good points. What do you do to find out what sleep set you want? Go to the local retailer and take up their time showing and educating you on the various models. Then take that information back to cyberspace and try to find that exact model. It will work if you are buying a Tempur-pedic but pretty difficult if you are buying a Posturepedic, Perfect Sleeper or Beautyrest. If you find the same model, and that is if, you will have cardiac arrest when you find out the shipping cost to your home. How does the internet shopper handle warranty problems? Are they suppose to haul this 200 pound king set back to the factory for warranty service? Is there a comfort guarantee? How is that handled. I do not want to appear negative but there will have to be a lot of soul searching before the internet takes over the retail store with its personal service and education provided by dedidicated sales associates at the department stores, sleep shops and the independent retailers across America.

We have to get better at it before they can. A lot of mattress/furniture people aren't good at the internet. Right now, my website is awful. I'm in the process of making it better. I'm not alone though. A lot of people have grown weary of buying big ticket on the internet. They want to have someone to strangle if it goes wrong. They want to have someone put it together, set it up, etc. I'm sure someone will figure out how to make it work.