Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2024 38 Y our shoppers expect to see choices in your mattress department. Many are getting wise to the fact that mattresses are not a one-size-fits-all. They want to be able to choose from their ideal "feel" in a couple of different price points and sizes. Every store and demographic area can be different. It would be a fool's errand for me to try to dictate the right number of floor samples for your store. But I can give some advice on where to start. Using supermarkets as an example, you'll find one extreme in the beverage aisle. Dr Pepper comes in 2-liter bottles, a six-pack of 7.5-ounce cans, a six-pack of 12-ounce cans, a six-pack of 20-ounce bottles, an eight-pack of 12-ounce bottles, a 10-pack of 7.5-ounce cans, and a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans. Each configuration was also available in diet, cherry, and vanilla. Twenty-eight choices for brown bubbly sugar water. You'd need the skills of a mathematician, Vegas odds maker, and an above-average fifth-grader to dope out the best value. Then there's Aldi's. Shopping Aldi's means saving money, and also time, because there are fewer choices to mull. Strawberry preserves? One brand, one size jar. Quick oats? Aldi's label in a 42-ounce container, take it or leave it. Dinner napkins, paper plates, red party cups? One brand, one size package. Similarly, plan your mattress selection to remove duplication, confusion, and waste. Start by slimming down on lower price points, especially under $1,000. Most stores can satisfy their shoppers with one $399/$499 model. I would recommend a firm feel. Then two at $599 and $799 (firm and plush). The first triple choice comes in at $999. That totals eight beds. If you have more than eight, you may be wasting your valuable and finite floor space. The mid-priced category needs to represent your optimum average sale goal. That means if your average sale goal is $1,499, then your wider selection should center around that price point. Focus on the construction technology and comfort level that sold best in the past and think of three price bands: $1,199, $1,599 and $1,999. That's 12 more beds. Next are your luxury beds. You may want to add more variety at these higher prices, but my prescription is to avoid the Dr Pepper syndrome. Start with the highest price-point mattress available. That's the flagship model, and it serves several purposes. The high price lets shoppers know mattress prices have gone up and people are buying more expensive beds. Next, it helps sell other beds on your floor, as many of the same features of the flagship model will be available on other beds. And, best of all, when you have shoppers who just want "the best," you'll both be smiling every time they buy one. You'll want no less than two price points in the $2,000 range, and two more in the $3,000 range – four models in both price points representing construction and comfort. That's nine models at the luxury price point. Now add that all together. It comes to 29 models. Every major price point is covered, with a reasonable choice on comfort level – all designed to fit in a 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot space. Of course, your market and store size may be different. Your sales team and your local territory manager can help you plan an effective floor plan that provides Goldilocks choices (not too many, not too few). HOW TO MERCHANDISE A MATTRESS FLOOR Less is more for baffled bed shoppers Gordon Hecht Bedding Trends Gordon Hecht is a business growth and development consultant to the retail home furnishings industry and a member of the AVB BrandSource pool of ExpertSource advisors. You can reach him at Gordon.Hecht@aol.com. RO

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