By now we are all well aware that social distancing and frequent handwashing are keys to combating the COVID-19 crisis. But the importance of getting a good night’s sleep is an often overlooked issue.
And, surprisingly, it’s one that mattress retailers don’t seem to be embracing. That’s a major missed opportunity.
I spent several minutes the other day checking the websites of some leading mattress retailers, searching largely in vain for better sleep messages tied to the coronavirus pandemic. I saw a lot of mattresses and talk about no-contact delivery and cleanliness commitments. But better sleep messages were in much shorter supply.
An exception was Mattress Firm, the nation’s largest mattress retailer, where CEO John Eck has directly tied sleep to the fight against the coronavirus.
“At Mattress Firm,” Eck says, “we know that sleep is essential to overall well-being especially during times of high stress and anxiety. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control highlights sleep as one way you can support yourself as we navigate this time.”
I like one of Mattress Firm’s recent messages: “Stay healthy. Sleep is essential.”
Yes, we all know that sleep is essential, but too often that vital message gets lost in the latest mattress sale rather than getting prominent play in bedding ads.
If ever there was a time for retailers to tout the importance of better sleep, this is it, says Therapedic CEO Gerry Borreggine.
He recently designed a “Helping Hand Therapedic Sleep Sale” to give his retailers the opportunity to talk about the importance of sleep in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Proper sleep is critical during this crisis, and we want to be able to help the citizens in the communities we serve get the good sleep they deserve,” Borreggine said. “It is vital that citizens maintain healthy hygiene habits to limit the spread of the virus. One of those habits is to make sure they get good, healthy sleep.”
Therapedic’s new Helping Hand campaign is ready for distribution to the company’s licensees and their retailers across the country. The print ad includes a news-style box that highlights the importance of a good night’s sleep.
Borreggine, a former head of the industry’s Better Sleep Council and a retailer before joining Therapedic, has long been an advocate for promoting the importance of better sleep, but he says that message often gets lost in a sea of price-oriented ads.
“Retailers who remain open during the COVID-19 crisis can help themselves and help their consumers, too, by including better sleep messages in their ads,” he said. “While there are many things we can’t control in these challenging times, we all have the chance to put a priority on getting a good night of sleep.”
He’s right.
The current retail climate would seem like the perfect time to me for mattress retailers to experiment with some new messages. And might I humbly suggest that retailers use these challenging times to promote what a new mattress delivers: A better night of sleep.
Or maybe they would rather talk about a $1 boxspring sale.
The post Blog: Retailers missing an opportunity by neglecting better sleep themes appeared first on Furniture Today.
