WOBURN, Mass. – In response to an informal survey of its top 50 dealers, Spring Air International will limit mattress heights to 16.5 inches on all new product designs.
The survey indicated that mattress profiles may be getting too high for aging consumers, and the participating retailers indicated that consumers don’t always equate luxury with the height of the mattress.
Nick Bates, Spring Air International president, said the shift to a maximum height standard will lead to additional sales by “catering to the needs and desires of a key demographic group.”
“The most important insight we learned in our most recent round is that consumers believe the industry has actually gone a little overboard in terms of mattress height, particularly at the higher end of the market, where taller mattresses have long been perceived as offering more comfort,” said Bates. “There’s no doubt people very much want quality products, but the feedback we’re getting from our dealers and their customers, is that older shoppers in particular want the height of their mattresses to be realistic and practical for their lifestyles.”
Bates said consumers that can afford higher-priced mattresses tend to fall between the ages of 45 and 70 years old. “For someone in that age group, getting in and out of a bed that is 19-inches tall can look and feel like scaling a skyscraper.”
Spring Air launched its survey to gauge dealer satisfaction and encourage feedback as part of its continuous product improvement strategy and to better meet its retail partners’ needs.
“We are constantly seeking feedback from both our licensees and our dealers to help us fine tune, update and innovate,” he said. “We seek their opinions and ideas because good just isn’t good enough for Spring Air, and in this survey, we learned that bigger isn’t always better either.”