Blog: TSI, Bedgear, Precision Textiles spark cleanliness conversations

It’s time to consider our “clean genes.” We’ve got to harness their power to drive the next chapter of mattress retailing.

That next chapter is now taking shape. It includes visions of retail sales associates in masks, offering masks and gloves to shoppers, and shoppers using pillow and mattress shields to give them peace of mind as they try out sleep sets and pillows. It also includes visions of stringent cleaning protocols in stores, and shoppers being encouraged to do their homework first and call ahead for appointments.

These appear to be key elements of what the “new normal” in Mattressville will look like in brick-and-mortar stores.

We all know that the closure of stores around the country has given digital mattress stores a boost, and, yes, we know those stores will play an increasingly important role in the industry.

But we also know our industry will figure out the brick-and-mortar pieces of the puzzle.

The conversations about those pieces thus far have included some familiar names and a newer name.

Tempur Sealy has debuted an impressive new in-store mattress shopping program it calls the Clean Shop Promise. It provides pillow and mattress shields designed for single use in stores. Those shields come in boxes without TSI branding, so that retailers can add their own logos and branding, a smart feature.

The program also provides detailed guidance on how retailers can limit their associates’ direct contact with consumers; can expand the methods and frequency of store cleanings, including disinfecting mattresses and point-of-purchase materials; and can safely deliver mattresses to the home.

TSI says research shows that many consumers have changed their shopping habits and are taking a number of new safety measures. And retailers must adapt to those new habits, the company says, correctly.

Also contributing to the industry’s conversations about cleanliness is Bedgear, which has developed new guidelines to help its retailers keep a sharp focus on cleanliness. Bedgear CEO Eugene Alletto is encouraging retailers to take a fresh approach to every aspect of the customer journey.

Central to the sanitary best practices is the use of Bedgear’s Sleep Napkins, which are used for each shopper as part of the company’s personalized Performance pillow and mattress fitting. The perforated and disposable Sleep Napkins are essential because they cover the entire pillow or a body-size portion of the mattress to maintain a clean surface between the shopper and the bedding product, the company says.

Also contributing to the cleanliness conversations is New Jersey-based Precision Textiles, a supplier of coated fabrics, nonwovens and laminations for the bedding, home furnishings and healthcare industries, which has developed an individually packaged hygienic mattress testing kit.

The kit, for use by retailers, is designed to deliver peace of mind to consumers shopping for new mattresses. Part of the company’s SlumberShield branded line of mattress and pillow protection, each kit contains a mattress and pillow sheet that retail sales associates can use when consumers rest test mattresses in the store.

“We believe that as stores re-open, this will become the new standard for sleep product shopping hygiene for some time to come,” said Scott Tesser, CEO of Precision Textiles.