Beyond the Box: Why In-Store Mattress Shopping Offers a Custom Experience

Like Jello salad and green carpeting, the in-store mattress sales industry seems like a holdover from another era. To many people, there's no point hoofing it to a brick-and-mortar location when you can order a product online. And for many, that might work. For many more, though, it doesn't.

"More than 50 million people in the United States have a sleep disorder," Cleveland Clinic reports. "In addition, more than 100 million Americans of all ages report that they don't get an adequate amount of sleep. An estimated 34 percent of Americans report their sleep quality as 'poor' or 'only fair,'" adds the American Psychiatric Association.

To be sure, some of this is undoubtedly related to stress and choices, but some is indeed also related to discomfort. Otherwise, the Sleep Foundation wouldn't feel the need to offer a list of bad mattress signs: aches and pains, poor sleep, sagging, poor support, excessive heat, allergens, and the general age of the mattress.

In other words, there are many good reasons for people to come into the store. The question becomes: How can you make that a more appealing option for them? The answer is simple: turning it into a custom mattress sales experience.

Online Mattress Shopping: What Isn’t Working

Although online mattress shopping certainly has its appeal, much about the process isn't working. Mattress retail sales have risen consistently in the US, and online retailers have gotten a big foothold in the market.

Indeed, as far back as 2018, 45% of mattresses were purchased through an online retailer, and 62% of shoppers said they'd considered the online option.

But while some internet research and home delivery certainly sound like the easiest option, it's not necessarily the best. Not only are plenty of people still having trouble sleeping (see statistics above), but 12% return their mattresses. Clearly, there is room for improvement.

Now, in-person stores can never hope to compete with bed-in-a-box retailers for convenience, but they can compete with them in personalized recommendations and shopping support. If you want to unlock the true potential of your mattress sales, then you must first recognize the challenges.

Why a Personalized Mattress Shopping Experience Matters

Here's the thing: mattress retail presents several challenges. Mattresses are expensive, and the manufacturer does not always support them. Floor space is also at a premium, and it's hard to compete with low-overhead online retailers.

Behind these challenges lies a lot of untapped potential, though. If you can set up the right shopping experience, then you can provide:

• A consistent quality customer experience that shoppers cannot get online.
• Increased customer purchase confidence.
• Improved store reputation and credibility, which will increase referral business.
• Measurable performance reports.

All you have to do is convince customers to try what you're offering—and that might not be as hard as you think.

McDonald's discovered something very profound when they instituted the simple question, "Would you like fries with that?" This seemingly innocuous question demonstrated that people often say yes, but you must ask them the question first.

The good news for mattress retailers is that this concept works across industries and products. True, a mattress is a weightier consideration than a side of fries; no one is arguing that. However, you can use the same basic tactic to get a shopper to, for instance, lie down on a sample mattress and try out a personalized mattress recommendation system. The rest becomes much easier once you've gotten them to say yes.

Pressure Mapping: The Whats and the Hows

Look, we've said it before, and we'll say it again: Measuring the performance of surfaces is hard. Knowing how much pressure is being applied at any given time, where it's being applied, and how it changes with time? That's even harder.

That's where a personalized mattress recommendation system from XSENSOR comes in. Using sensor data, you can help turn mattress sales from guessing into reliable recommendations that guarantee your shoppers a better night's sleep. Here's how it works:

1. Lay out a sensor mat on a mattress.
2. Ask shoppers to lie down.
3. Create a pressure map using software that communicates with the sensor mat.
4. Explain to shoppers what the sensor mat means and how it impacts their needs.
5. Offer recommendations for potential mattresses.

With this system, you can convince customers to purchase more of the products in your store. It will pay itself back quickly because of this. In fact, if you already have a good relationship with some of your suppliers, they may even offer to sponsor it for you.

The bottom line is this: Pressure mapping takes your sales game to the next level. Once your retail sales associates understand how to use the system, they will gain confidence, speak more convincingly, understand your merchandise better, and give your store a better reputation.

Try REVEAL by XSENSOR

The bottom line is that sleeping on a bad mattress will lead to a bad night's sleep. Finding people a good mattress can ensure happier and healthier customers. When you have the right tools, this becomes much easier.

If you're ready to take your mattress sales to the next level, you're ready to learn more about the REVEAL Mattress Recommendation System from XSENSOR. Our out-of-the-box hardware-software combo requires minimal setup, no calibration, and no expertise to operate. You'll go from guesswork to confidence within a day.

Using the highest-quality surface and dynamic data, you can give your customers the personalized shopping experience they've been looking for once and for all. In so doing, you can increase your sales, reduce your returns, boost your word-of-mouth marketing, and gain a reputation for excellence.

Where's the downside? Get started today.