If you missed NBC’s morning show report on buying a mattress this fall, here’s a few phrases that Meredith Viera, secret shopper Janice Lieberman and a consumer came up with to describe mattress shopping…

“can be madenning”
“why is it so difficult to shop for a new mattress?
“you may need some rest before you set out to buy one”
“it was rediculous… my friend had so much trouble figuring it out”
“it’s SO frustrating for the consumer”
“you need to do your research, but it can be difficult”
“every store seemed to have a different set of mattresses but that wasn’t really the case” 
“doing research is a lot of work… figuring out how much foam and how many coils is a lot of work for the average restless sleeper”
“seems like a racket… how do you cut through the marketing gimmicks?”
“it’s a tough industry to beat” 

Do mattress makers need to reconsider marketing practices that make shopping so tough for consumers?  Maybe a universal system that helps consumers understand mattress benefits even if different stores have different models? Or something else? See what you think - click on the link below, and click “launch” to see the video.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15004001

Being a night owl, I often think about making my own appointment to sleep every night. So how about a mattress store that encourages customers to schedule a nap on their dime? 

Mattress Inn, in Nashville, TN, offers its customers a sleep appointment right in their store… a great way to get consumers excited about sleeping better at night on a new mattress (and to make lying down in a mattress store less uncomfortable!). Here’s how it works…

1. The bedding store boasts its own “General Bedding Concierge” who sets up ‘private sleep room’s right in the store, complete with fresh pillows, sheets and comforters - on the bed(s) of the customer’s choosing.

2. Customers are invited to spend up to 3 hours in their own private sleep room, complete with flat-panel TV, soothing sound machines, DVD players and their own light switch (many consumers prefer to relax on the beds in the dark so they can simulate their room at home)… all at no charge.

In a tough economy, mattress sales are brisk for the retailer. They get up to 10 sleep reservations a week - some by phone, others by seeing the “Please ask about our Private Sleep Rooms” signs in the store. And 90% of those reservations turn into sales.

Their full-service model also includes Concierge Delivery, where they call customers 45 minutes before arriving at their home, and go over the warranty during a phone call after the sale.

Students with home furnishing majors at a variety of universities were recently interviewed after they spent some time at the fall 08 High Point furniture market. Here’s the advice they had for the furniture industry…

“green is a hot issue… more needs to be done”

“incorporate more function and innovation into furniture”

“know who you’re designing for… today’s consumers are diverse”

“pick the consumer’s brain about how they actually use the furniture”

“reduce costs”

“make good design more widespread”

Good advice from those who can see the industry with fresh eyes!

Source: Furniture/Today, Nov 3

In an interview with Advertising Age (Oct 20), Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for VISA said the following when asked if the company would re-think their branding concept “Life takes Visa” in their efforts to keep consumer confidence up. 

“We need to establish a better balance between rational and emotional mind-sets… we need to help increase the (rational) cash and check transactions… but I also believe that especially in times of uncertainty, when more people are spending more time at home, uplifting people or providing that message of “what life should be” would be equally important…. It’s probably more important than ever.”

The idea of uplifting people at home is compelling. We could all use a little uplifting right now, and furniture might be in a better position to do that than we realize… more tranquil bedrooms where we can get a better night’s sleep, more exciting home entertainment rooms to watch our new flat screen TVs, and more comfortable dining rooms where we can spend quality time with family… might be just the kind of messages that are needed right now. 

Entertainment seems to be recession-proof, and aggressive pricing on flat panel TVs is helping. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, flat-paneled TV sales rose 40% in August vs. the same period in 2007, unit sales of TV and stereo equipment increased 4.7%, while auto sales fell 13.5%.

“People really value TV subscriptions as their primary form of entertainment,” says Jessica Insalaco, CMO for EchoStar’s Dish Netork. “Americans’ appetite for TV is pretty intense. It’s a big part of their lives. We’re there on the list by gas and food and electricity.”

The trend should also bode well for the furniture that goes with it.

Vacation homes peaked in 2006 at a record 1.07 million. Sales dropped 30.6% to 740,000 in 2007, according to the National Association of Realtors., but stayed within the 12%  share of the overall home market.  The NAR’s Vacation Home Buyers Survey, conducted in March 2008, show some interesting trends: 

Median price of a vacation home was $200K in 2007, down from $207K in 2006 

Type of homes purchased? 50% single family homes, 29% condos, 7% townhouses 

Reasons for the purchase? 84% want a vacation/family retreat / 30% plan to use it as a primary residence in the future / 26% want to diversify their investments / 25% want to rent it out / 16% want tax benefits / 14% want to use it for a family member or friend 

Favorite recreational activities? 57% enjoy the beach / 38% like boating / 21% favored golf / 17%  like winter recreation Locations of vacation homes? 19% in the Northeast, 16% in the Midwest / 41% in the South / 24% in the West. In addition, 40% of homes were in resorts, 20% in a suburb and 14% in an urban area 

42% of buyers said they were likely to purchase another property in the next 2 years 

34% of those surveyed are buying homes within 100 miles of their main home / another third are buying them within 500 miles. Reasons cited are growing airline fuel costs and hassles of traveling Record sales of vacation homes are being reported in the 50-59-year old age group and the 40-49 year old group 

Baby boomers own 57% of all vacation homes, and 13% of those boomers own two or more vacation homes 

NAR spokespeople believe the younger age groups will drive the market, despite the current economic uncertainty, and that demand won’t decrease substantially. 

Source: Design Today, Fall ‘08 

Total U.S. inventory of unsold homes (Aug ‘08) dropped 7.0% to 4.26 million. Based on current rate of sale, this represents a 10.4 month supply, down from a 10.9 month supply in July.

The national median existing home price for all housing types was $203,100 in August, down 9.5% from a year ago, when the median was $225,400.

Source: Qualified Remoder, Oct ‘08

Consumers are spending more time at home, but it’s not just inside. Expanding their home’s outdoor space is helping consumers save money on vacations, de-stress, relax, increase their living space and home investment.

According to a recent HGTV/Casual Living magazine survey, an outdoor dining set tops the list of home furnishings consumers want in their outdoor space. Here’s what else (and how many of them) had on their wish list…

85% - an outdoor dining set
75% - an outdoor conversation group
73% - a professionally-landscaped garden
70% - a water fountain or water feature
64% - a fire pit or fireplace
58% - a screened-in area
52% - a grill
52% - a spa
48% - a sun-shade device
41% - an outdoor kitchen
29% - an entertainment center
22% - a children’s play area