From Showroom to Smartphone – Mattress Marketing Journey, Marketing & Advertising News, ET BrandEquity

Whether you lie on your side or stomach, quality sleep is key to good health. In today's fast-paced, competitive world, quality sleep is more valuable than ever. What is the key to good quality sleep? A good mattress that suits you. While the mattress category in India used to be primarily an offline category, consumers are now turning to online marketplaces and online-first brands to meet their sleep needs. This category is made up of an interesting mix of traditional companies that have been around for a long time. Decade-old brands (Duroflex, Kurl-On, Sleepwell, etc.) and new-age brands (Wakefit, Sleep Company, Flo Mattress, Sleepycat, etc.) that sell their products directly on online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart or on their own websites. ).

The decision to purchase a new mattress usually stems from general needs, such as installing a new home, addressing an orthopedic problem, or replacing an old mattress due to wear and tear. Ten years ago, this process involved visiting several showrooms, consulting with salespeople, and making a decision based on your interaction with the product and your personal satisfaction. Consumer purchasing behavior is currently changing. Shoppers can now start their search on Google, compare prices, learn more about mattress materials, read online reviews, and finally buy online and bring the showroom experience to their home. .

Despite the proliferation of online shopping, physical experience centers remain important to brands. Provide tangible touchpoints for consumers to feel and understand your product. Ripal Chopda, his CMO at The Sleep Company, emphasizes the importance of these in-person experiences: People want to understand the product. It's important for them to visit our store because they spend over 30,000 hours of their life sleeping on the brand. ”

Digital engagement has become the key to converting interest into sales. Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, co-founder of Wakefit, emphasizes the need for multiple touchpoints in a customer's journey, saying, “Customers need to interact with a brand at five to six touchpoints before making a purchase decision.'' There is.”

Health and wellness trends accelerated by the pandemic are also impacting the mattress market. Sridhar Balakrishnan, Group CEO of Duroflex, said: People understand the importance of good sleep. The pandemic has also accelerated a shift in the category from a consumer perspective, from only viewing offline to also viewing online. ”

Targeting the right audience through content marketing is essential. Wakefit adjusts strategies based on consumer psychographic profiles, from media consumption to influencer preferences. “Understanding psychographic profiles through media consumption research, triggers and barriers research, and user acceptance research can help us identify how users behave, where they look, and what they look at. We can, and this helps us coordinate. Our communications are meant to appeal to them,” says Ramalingowda. He added: “It's also important that we need to provide knowledge and information about that category in a reliable way. It doesn't matter if you buy from us or not, you need to talk to us and engage with us. ”

Performance marketing strategies such as influencer partnerships and user-generated content play a key role in increasing brand awareness. The success of these strategies is evidenced by brand recall and recognition, which is critical to long-term growth.

Trust-building initiatives such as 100-day trials are offered by both Wakefit and Sleep Company. “Almost 40-45% of our repeat revenue comes from people who are referred to the brand by friends and family who have had a positive experience with our company,” he said.

Despite these advances, challenges remain, particularly in expanding the reach of experience centers and adapting to consumer preferences over traditional mattresses. However, the industry trajectory shows continued growth, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, as economic conditions improve.