What if we told you that humans have been looking for ways to sleep more comfortably for thousands of years, perhaps tens of thousands? And that in that time, mattress salespeople have been trying to help them do it?
And that there were goats involved?
Okay, we know we got your attention with the goat thing, and it’s all true. According to Mattress Clarity, “The mattress industry has a remarkably long history. Some estimates suggest mattresses have been bought and sold since as long ago as the 37th century BCE when Persians invented goatskin waterbeds for royalty. It turns out humans have always needed a comfortable place to sleep.”
Today that desire translates into an $81 billion market, according to the same source, with more than $17 billion of that commerce taking place in the United States. It’s no surprise that there’s so much mattress competition.
Unfortunately, diagnostic tools and personalized recommendations based on sleep patterns haven’t improved mattress selling as much as they should. Why? Because most people aren’t using the right sleep technology. Sensor-based hardware and software are critical not only to a good night’s sleep and customer satisfaction but also to your bottom line.
We will discuss how sensor technology relates to your customer’s happiness, comfort, and longevity. We will also look at the issues with traditional mattress selling, the benefits and functions of diagnostic tools, and the future of mattress sales.
Mattress sales are a primarily broken system based on guesswork and hope rather than science and research. Salespeople run through quick briefs on new products, then try to match them up to customers' sometimes vague descriptions of their sleep patterns and bodies. This leads to the following:
Fortunately, diagnostic tools can help solve every one of these problems.
Improving mattress sales with technology brings many benefits to the table. These include:
So, how can you expect such mattress recommendation systems to work? Here’s a quick look.
Using sensor-based hardware and AI-powered software, you'll have an easier time than ever building a (literal) picture of how your customers sleep at night. With sensor-based technology that shows exact pressure points and positioning, you can turn their narratives into visuals that lead you to the right choice for each customer.
The size, shape, pressure distribution, and posture of someone's body significantly affect what will make them feel comfortable and supported at night. However, these characteristics are challenging to parse with the human eye.
Even where you can visually assess the body, you still can't see what's going on between it and the mattress surface where they meet. A system that can take those body measurements for you, analyze the posture and patterns, and turn them into a complete picture. Well, that's worth its weight in gold.
It isn't easy to measure the performance of surfaces, and it's even more challenging to predict how various mattress options will work out for sleepers over time – without data. Combining motion and image data gives you the complete picture of what a prospect needs. Once you add in AI-powered recommendation technology to help pair each individual with the array of mattresses that match their profile, you're on your way to – dare we say – a perfect system.
Because of the growing availability of mattress research, as well as diagnostic hardware and software, the future of mattress selling will involve the following:
Together, these facts will lead to an inevitable change in the industry landscape. Suppose you need to change along with them. In that case, you will get left behind by your competitors, face decreased customer confidence, and see a reduction in profits that could measurably impact your business – if you even have one by then.
Time for a better way.
The future of mattress selling is here, bringing with it better sales confidence, happier customers, decreased rates of return, and higher profits.
At XSENSOR, we use cutting-edge research and top-level technology to curate software and hardware systems that work together seamlessly with little setup time and even less recalibration. With our diagnostic devices, you will have an easier time helping customers choose mattress materials and models that give them the good night’s rest they deserve – and increase awareness and approval of your brand at the same time.
Ready to learn more about the REVEAL Mattress Recommendation System? We invite you to read all about it, ask any questions, or book a demo today.