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We chat with Martin Seeley, CEO at MattressNextday, to understand how the brand competes in this space and what is coming next for the online mattress sector...
The number of mattress brands has grown exponentially over the past years, and the pandemic further fuelled growth in this sector. While many businesses were experiencing sleepless nights, the online mattress business was booming. With many consumers confined to their homes, they turned to purchase products to refresh their home lives.
During the lockdown, consumers had no choice – they had to buy most of their items online or through delivery services due to restrictions and limitations on face-to-face contact. Once this paradigm was set, customers didn’t ever go back to how they once purchased items. Knowing and trusting that online purchases were safe and reliable had become a significant part of their shopping habits.
But what is next for this sector? With increased competition, inflation rising, and supply chain challenges, could all these factors be the perfect storm to stagnant growth? Or even go backward?
We had a chat with MattressNextDay CEO Martin Seeley to gain some insight into how the brand competes in this space and what will be its focus for 2022 and beyond.
Consumer adoption of purchasing higher-value items online has grown, and the purchase of mattresses online is part of that trend. Not too long ago, mattresses would top the list of products tried and tested in brick and mortar stores before making that all-in important purchase decision.
The purchase of a mattress is a big decision for consumers. Given its price point and daily use, customers are selective when searching for the perfect mattress. People are also slow to make such a large purchase without feeling the product in person because it’s a long-term commitment– many people keep their mattresses for years before replacing them. And when it comes to their exact requirements, people are looking for a strong recommendation because the consequence of a wrong choice could mean sleepless nights.
Martin shared that the brand has seen a significant rise in consumers' spending on their mobile devices, and this behaviour is expected to continue over the next few years. To better prepare for this trend, the brand has been improving its online presence by optimising its website to be suitable for mobile. One of the main challenges has been that even though people turn to their mobile phones for these larger purchases, they still expect the VIP experience they would receive if they had purchased these items in person. For many brands, the websites are not equipped for a warm, engaging buyer journey. And this trend is nowhere near stopping. Martin says that:
“In 2022, we will continue to optimise our digital channels so that consumers can get the information they need on a smaller screen.”
We asked Martin how MattressNextDay differentiates itself from others in the market. He shared a few important keys they used to stand out from competitors.
Firstly, starting with the name itself, the brand focused on providing customers free next-day delivery on hundreds of mattresses. They pride themselves on having such a close relationship with their logistics partner that they can deliver on this promise with their own fleet across the UK.
Another way that MattressNextDay caters to a wide range of budgets and tastes is by offering its own exclusive product lines with popular international brand names. Working with brands such as Sealy, Silentnight, Sleepsoul, and more allows the company to provide a variety that is also exclusive to them.
Not only has there been a shift in consumers making larger purchases online, but consumers are also even more selective about their purchases from an environmental point of view, and MattressNextDay shares those same convictions. They recently partnered with the environmental organisation Ecologi and have pledged to plant 1 million trees by 2030.
"We have begun by promising customers to plant one tree for every order we receive."
It was important for MatressNextDay to be a trailblazer in the environmental sustainability space because, as an organisation, they are committed to doing their part in tackling the climate crisis. These greener changes will put customers' minds at ease. It also ensures that any purchases made support a company that is committed to helping the planet.
Finally, the brand strives to create a sense of community with its customers. Customer reviews play a significant role in the customers' pre-sales research phase. Martin shares that they have contacted customers to ask them to review their products and experiences. This type of feedback provides real insight from a customer's perspective - which can be very powerful for curious buyers in making that all important purchase decision.
No matter the company’s size or product, there are ongoing challenges in selling mattresses online in the current market. Here are some of the biggest pain points and potential solutions you can implement.
Basket abandonment is a well-known challenge for any eCommerce brand, and the online mattress sector is no different. This issue can increase when dealing with higher-priced items. So what can these brands do to combat this properly?
MattressNextDay’s CEO focused on optimising the company’s basket process. He has fine-tuned the experience by ensuring that customers have all the information and options to help them complete their orders with as little friction as possible. We all know that there are various reasons that consumers abandon their baskets, especially in the late stages.
MattressNextDay has learned that they see a higher purchase completion rate by being as explicit and transparent with consumers as possible. Showing people specifics helps conversion rates. Here are some of the details they are sure to make clear.
Through analytics, they discovered that some purchases weren’t completed for various reasons and had a shorter buyer journey than was typical. One tactic they use to save the sale is to follow up (if they have the customers' information). MattressNextDay does this by emailing the shoppers’ order information encouraging them to complete their purchase. The email contains a link to the site, which can pick up right where they left off.
Furthermore, MattressNextDay understands that payment flexibility is also key. With the cost of living rising, MattressNextDay is catering to customers by offering alternative payment methods. If shoppers can’t pay the total price upfront, they can use Swedish payment provider Klarna. This service grants consumers two additional payment methods: the first is to purchase their product while organising a payment plan of three instalments. The second is the ability to buy today but pay for it 30 days later. Having these options available gives the consumers control over how they pay, reducing friction and anxiety, leading to fewer abandoned carts.
Another area that many eCommerce brands strive to improve in is overall customer experience and personalisation. Since MattressNextDay is primarily based online, they understand and embrace the fact that digital communications help support customers with their purchasing journey.
They offer the ability to communicate with their support team through their website’s live chat, phone calls, or even messages through social media. By engaging, they can instil trust and knowledge into shoppers and help them purchase a new mattress with confidence.
Additionally, to drive engagement, MattressNextDay launched a mattress finder quiz designed to help customers find the perfect mattress to suit their requirements based on their sleeping habits and preferences.
MattressNextDay also takes a diverse approach and benefits from an in-person, brick-and-mortar location. With high street retail coming back into fruition now that lockdowns are largely over, people can also pair their online experience with a showroom visit.
MattressNextDay delivers a personalised customer experience at scale, whether customers are online or in person.
In addition to a strong focus on environmental sustainability continuing, something else that shows no sign of slowing down is consumers' purchase of high ticket items online. But will customers choose to buy from you? You need to build trust and stand out to be the company that those consumers are buying from.
For any mattress brand to stay ahead and truly give customers a VIP experience they need to shift from a reactive marketing approach to a proactive one. What do we mean by that? Instead of waiting for your potential customers on your site to reach out to you, reach out to them first with the perfect proactive messaging via live chat to engage them in conversation.
Using live chat to have these targeted, meaningful conversations with your site’s visitors can more easily turn them into brand advocates. By adding this single tool to your marketing mix, you can achieve everything that has been suggested so far. Live chat can help you:
Live chat is the ultimate tool to achieve all of the above and more. We’d love to tell you how you can implement this or optimise your existing process.
Let's talk if you want to see how we can delight your customers and drive conversions like never before.
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