The mattress industry is a double-edged sword.
Everyone sleeps and people will always need mattresses.
On the other hand, mattress shopping presents various challenges to both the sales rep and the consumer. Even with the vast array of choices on the market, it isn't easy to walk into a store, try a few mattresses, and go home with the right one. Returns are expected, and not-infrequent customer dissatisfaction leads to negative word-of-mouth marketing.
There is a better way. Sensors help overcome some of the most common mattress shopping challenges so that retailers can spend less worrying and more time serving their customers. With intelligent, dynamic mattress recommendation technology, you can ensure the shopper gets exactly what they're looking for without additional time in the store.
Challenges of Mattress Sales
When people go to buy a mattress, the stakes are high. It's a product they'll use for the next 5-10 years, every day. It will affect their sleep, a high-priority concern for most people. And let's be honest, mattresses are an investment.
It's no surprise that the world of mattress sales comes with so many challenges, such as:
- Mattress returns: Unhappy customers bring mattresses back. The mattresses can sometimes be reused or resold, but not always. Returns present a challenge for health and safety reasons and can mean significant losses for the store.
- Dithering and tire-kicking: Because many mattress stores don't have an ironclad sales process, they spend a lot of their time on people who aren't sure they're going to buy or don't know how to make a decision.
- Uncertainty: When a sales rep doesn't know how to help a customer, they both lose faith in the process. Yet it's hard to be sure about a product when everyone's body is so different, so feelings of uncertainty when trying to help a consumer choose a product are normal.
- An unscientific approach: Even the most knowledgeable sales rep might have difficulty selling a product they cannot guarantee will work. But with gut-based guesses forming much of the sales world for decades, some people don't know another way.
- Mattress-in-a box-challenges: For mattress companies that don't have a physical location, the hurdles are more significant because the first time customers lie on it is when they take it out of the box at home.
The good news is, there is a better way. Mattress selling technology can help you up your game considerably … you need the right tools.
Why Sensor Technology?
Without the proper support, a mattress can cause more harm than good. However, it's hard to tell whether a mattress supports a person with only a few minutes to decide. The pressure points that will add up over time to discomfort and pain aren't usually that readily apparent, leading to poor choices and buyer's regret later.
Enter sensors, which can illustrate where areas of high pressure occur between mattress and body – long before the person feels them. This allows mattress retailers to get out in front of possible issues and find better options for consumers than they can without sensors.
The benefits of using mattress recommendation technology to paint a picture of how a person sleeps are numerous, including:
- A better customer experience that educates and tailor fits the mattress.
- Greater ease in finding mattresses.
- The ability to compare mattress comfort levels without long test periods.
- Increased confidence in you, the mattress retailer.
- The ability to educate consumers.
- Simple-to-use technology that doesn't require a lot of upfront training.
- The ability to test mattress-in-a-box technologies more effectively during prototyping.
How Does It Work?
Mattress sensor technology might not be essential in and of itself, but happily, the process whereby you use it to help customers choose mattresses is. It looks a little something like this:
- Invite the customer to see their unique pressure map and get tailor fit for the right mattress.
- Have them lie down in their usual sleeping position. If they sleep in more than one position, which is expected, have them try all of them.
- Watch the display to see where the individual areas of high pressure are while the person is in their usual sleeping position. Explain that the recommended mattresses will resolve those pressure points and the customer can see what they feel.
Plus, when you use REVEAL® By XSENSOR, you can customize your system to match your store's branding, giving customers a seamless experience that helps them feel cared for while increasing brand awareness.
Work with Sensors to Streamline Sales
Want to know more about REVEAL® By XSENSOR? Our innovative and engaging customer experience can help your shoppers select the right bed while helping you meet the challenges of mattress sales in today's world.
The REVEAL Mattress Recommendation System and REVEAL Sales Reporting work together to help ensure your retail store sees more action and fewer returns than ever before. We invite you to learn more about our sleep improvement technology, visit our virtual showroom, or book a demo today.
