Doing a little research for a local sleep shop and hoping other members will share your challenges and success stories for advertisers in this category.
Bedding sales have been flat - not just for my client, but throughout the industry - and we're brainstorming ways to boost sales.
What approaches are working for your bedding clients? Are they focusing on price? Are they emphasizing a better sleep experience? Promotions and sales? A free item with bed purchase?
My client offers a comfort guarantee: if the mattress you buy doesn't work out, return it within 30 days for credit against a different set. Some conditions apply, such as using a mattress protector (which they try to sell the customer at the time of purchase). He's hesitant to make a big deal about this on the air though, for fear people will abuse their generosity.
They tell me that if the customer will take 30-40 minutes in the store to actually try out a number of beds, the likelihood of them returning the set goes way down. But customers are reluctant to do this, especially couples shopping together. Either they're embarrassed (they think it's somehow undignified to try out a bed with the salesperson or other shoppers in the store) or else they just don't want to take the time. It's a frustration for the client.
I found this 2010 article from Furniture Today that offered some pointers. But I'd really like to hear from other members who have had good success helping their advertisers sell beds. What's been working for you?
Thanks for any insights you can provide.
I do a live interview every Friday morning on KPNW 1120 out of Eugene. For the last several years the lead in was a 60 second testimonial that varied every week about the mattress company and the emphasis was first and foremost about the sleeping experience. Having said that, I haven't heard their ads on the air in front of my interviews this year so they have either cut back on their advertising budget or moved these ads to a different time slot from 7:45 AM but it must have been working based on how long the ads were running.
We don't have any mattress stores on the air, but in our state, mattress sales are big. There's a store on every corner. The biggest store is The Original Mattress Factory. They use all of the approaches you mention.
