Mattress manufacturers tend to have a specific story in mind when they design a luxury mattress. But how does that story translate to the retail sales associate (RSA)? It has to come through clearly, because the RSA must retell that story to the consumer in a profound enough way to overcome pricing barriers and to express what it would truly mean to own a luxury product.
“We want the RSA to be equal parts salesperson and storyteller,” says Mark Quinn, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Shifman. “We partner with retailers who can dedicate space and resources to a true gallery environment—one where the customer immediately recognizes the product as distinctive and special. Just as important, we look for partners who value training, not only on product knowledge, but also on how to connect emotionally with the consumer.”
“The right retailer is one who understands that selling a luxury mattress is about the experience as much as the product,” adds Rachel Cabell, senior manager, brand marketing, Beautyrest. “They curate a thoughtful assortment, create a beautifully merchandised environment, and invest in educating their associates so they can guide shoppers with clarity and confidence. From the showroom floor to delivery and beyond, they uphold a shared high standard of care at every touch point.”
With the global luxury and premium mattress market expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.75% from 2025 to 2033, luxury is having its moment, especially as customers prioritize sleep health in response to the chaos and daily stress of the extraordinary times we live in. The question is, how can retailers make the most of it?
What customers want
Today’s luxury mattress customer understands that sleep is directly tied to their overall health and well-being, says Jon Stowe, managing director, E.S. Kluft & Company. They’re looking for an “elevated sleep experience that is attainable and clearly worth it,” adds Frank Hood, president and CEO, Kingsdown. “They understand there is tremendous value in a restorative night’s sleep.”
These customers, typically of high net worth, also often prioritize natural and organic materials, as well as environmentally responsible manufacturing. Certifications and third-party endorsements can help build confidence and trust. At the same time, customers may desire “performance-driven refinement.”
“Consumers are gravitating to advanced hybrid constructions, noticeable cooling solutions, and designs that feel sophisticated and modern,” says Beautyrest’s Cabell, all of which make a high-end mattress a “meaningful investment.”
Adds Nick Bates, president and CEO, Spring Air International, “[It’s about] selling sleep, rather than just selling price. Customers buying a luxury mattress are not only investing in a product—they are investing in an experience.”
At E.S. Kluft, this means high-quality materials, especially natural materials that are certified safe and sustainable; artisanal-level craftsmanship; and temperature-management features and technology. For example, the Aireloom Preferred Luxetop M2 Plush mattress (queen starting at $6,599.99) features luxurious natural materials such as silk, wool, and cotton, along with cooling technology within the layers to promote temperature regulation throughout the night and two layers of micro coils for individualized support and comfort.
Another example, King Koil’s Reserve Luxury Collection, features hand-applied button tufting, which secures layers of natural Talalay latex, resilient horsehair, and body-conforming memory foam (queen starting at $3,999). Kingsdown’s Vintage Couture collection (queen starting at $3,399) is its long-standing flagship in the luxury arena, featuring layers of Joma and alpaca wools, gel-quilted foam, latex, pure cotton, motion-separation foam, and tri-zoned wrapped coils.
SpringAir touts its Chattam & Wells collection (queen starting at $4,999), which combines cooling knit and Talalay latex along with natural wools such as cashmere, merino, and camel for breathable softness, while 8,000-plus coils deliver resilient support. Beautyrest’s newest Beautyrest Black® Hybrid XCS models (queen starting at $3,999) focus on luxury through proven innovation, intentional design, and elevated materials. This includes its exclusive Triple Stranded Pocketed Coil® Technology for advanced individualized support and motion separation, paired with its highest-density foams and 30% more cooling power. The models also come in split head sizes and pair with adjustable bases, so shoppers can create a fully customizable sleep system.
“We partner with retailers who can dedicate space and resources to a true gallery environment—one where the customer immediately recognizes the product as distinctive and special. Just as important, we look for partners who value training, not only on product knowledge, but also on how to connect emotionally with the consumer.”
—Mark Quinn, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Shifman
At Shifman, its story focuses on collections like Timeless and 1893—which are certified by Goodbed/Dow and involve hours of painstaking, handcrafted work for each mattress from start to finish. The 1893 mattresses (queen starting at $24,000) are two-sided by design, feature layers of cotton, alpaca, wool, silk, horsehair, and organic latex, and have temperature-balancing fibers, zoned coils, and strong edges, all wrapped in a jacquard woven exclusively for this collection.
“Experiencing a true luxury product changes the conversation. It stops being about price and becomes about values, craftsmanship, and expectation,” says Quinn.
Stop in your tracks conversation
“Luxury can be a bright spot in an otherwise challenging retail environment,” continues David Binke, CEO, King Koil. But retailers need to fully understand the process of selling luxury. That includes designing the right in-store presentation and properly educating and training staff members. For example, says Binke, King Koil supplies retailers with expertly backlit headboards and signage with key messages to help elevate the presentation and share the King Koil collection story on their store floors.
“Presentation is nine-tenths of the law in luxury mattress retailing,” agrees Mike James, chairman at Kingsdown. “The store has to exude the right qualities to draw the customer to the product. You can’t sell a luxury product if the overall look of the store visually doesn’t support a luxury experience. It has to be the whole package. As my father-in-law used to say, ‘You are who you are perceived to be.’”
Because a luxury mattress is considered an investment, quick promotions and price-driven selling don’t have a place here, says E.S. Kluft’s Stowe. In-store displays—with standard top-of-bed assets and point-of-purchase tools such as brand logo displays and posters—or customized displays help create the environment. E.S. Kluft also ensures that its retail partners value storytelling, craftsmanship, and long-term relationships with their customers and train their sales teams so they can explain materials, construction, and benefits.
“Education starts with product knowledge but goes beyond just knowing the specification,” says Stowe. “Sales associates need to understand why the mattress is made the way it is—how it is built by hand and why. How it will perform over time. When they can tell that story clearly and honestly, the messaging feels natural rather than scripted.”
A little swagger and confidence doesn’t hurt either. “And the only way you acquire that confidence is being well educated about the product,” says Kingsdown’s James. “You can have the best-looking bed in the world, and great-looking point-of-purchase materials, but if a retailer wants to compete in the luxury market, superior sales training is the key.”
At Spring Air, Bates says it invests months in training and educating RSAs about its Chattam & Wells luxury brand, “which performs very well on floors where the retailer is committed to telling the story necessary to sell better mattresses.”
Shifman takes that a step further by encouraging RSAs to visit its factory, spend time with its mattresses, and sleep on them so they can personally understand what sets Shifman apart. “For those who can’t visit in person, we also offer video tours. When someone sees how our mattresses are made, it transforms how they feel about the brand,” says Quinn. “While many mattresses are produced in under an hour, a Shifman mattress can take up to 13 hours to build due to the level of care and handcraftsmanship involved.”
For customers, nothing can replicate the sensory experience of touching a luxury mattress to help translate the technology and specifications into benefits shoppers can understand, says Beautyrest’s Cabell. “Consumers should immediately use their hands to feel the fabrics and cool-to-the-touch surfaces,” she says. “Associates should encourage shoppers to lay down on the mattress in their usual sleeping position and experience the way the mattress responds to their body the moment they lie down. The first interactions set the tone and create an emotional connection.”
“[It’s about] selling sleep, rather than just selling price. Customers buying a luxury mattress are not only investing in a product—they are investing in an experience.”
—Nick Bates, president and CEO, Spring Air International
“Vintage Couture stands out on a retailer’s floor as well as in our own showroom,” Kingsdown’s James adds, “because of its appearance and the fact that people just want to feel the fabrics. I have watched educated buyers at trade shows reach down and say, ‘Wow! That’s really different.’ The beds just draw you in.”
Overall, while it takes extra effort to sell, says King Koil’s Binke, “The good news for our retail partners is that the work pays off: The luxury consumer is more insulated from uncertain economic conditions, and as they are less affected, they are continuing to invest in a better night’s sleep.”
Premium marketing
Marketing assets and tools are another part of the package. For example, SpringAir’s retail marketing support includes creative services, website design, and opportunities on streaming and advertising platforms, as well as social media ads, and E.S. Kluft provides its retailers with marketing tools that include imagery, videography, collateral, and digital advertising co-op programs. Kingsdown’s training and selling materials, digital assets, and in-store merchandising are designed to “make the science easy to communicate and the value easy to understand,” says Hood.
King Koil’s Binke says his company does “quite a bit” of digital advertising to ensure its partners stand out in their marketplaces and can continually connect with consumers. He also adds that the company aims to tailor its support to retailers’ individual needs, and a large part of that is emphasizing aspirational product photography.
“Three to four times a year, we do fully immersive lifestyle photo shoots in sophisticated settings, using multimillion-dollar residences located near mountain ranges or on the water,” he says. “Artificial intelligence may take over the product photography space someday, but we believe there is nothing better than doing live shoots with talented photographers and stylists. We want real photos from real places to which people aspire because it ultimately tells a better story.”
Along with its comprehensive suite of marketing tools, including point-of-sale materials, social media content, direct mail, and email marketing programs, Shifman recently debuted its Promoboxx social media platform, which delivers luxury content directly to its retail partners. It also provides advanced analytics, tracking, and co-op marketing capabilities to assist retailers in reaching local audiences effectively.
Beautyrest packages retailer support into its Our Promise Growth Program, which provides current retail partners with the assets, information, and tools needed to consistently present luxury sleep from Beautyrest Black®, says Cabell, from product and advertising trainings to clear storytelling and merchandising tools to premium digital content. The program ensures alignment across brand visuals, messaging, and in store experiences, “so our story feels cohesive at every touchpoint,” she says.
Several luxury manufacturers also reach customers through partnerships with hospitality and interior design sectors. “Partnering with hospitality allows consumers to experience luxury sleep firsthand,” says Cabell. “When guests sleep well while traveling, they recognize the impact a mattress has on their nightly comfort and recovery. That experience can inspire them to seek the same level of luxurious rest at home.”
Adds E.S. Kluft’s Stowe: “Partnering with high-end hotels, resorts, and interior designers … provides additional credibility. It is incredibly valuable as these environments allow people to experience comfort, quality, and performance firsthand, without the need to be ‘sold’ to.”
“Luxury can be a bright spot in an otherwise challenging retail environment.”
—David Binke, CEO, King Koil
Shifman has even created the Shifman Concierge program, which pairs designers with a Shifman professional to help select the perfect bed, says Quinn. “This approach connects the brand with an elite consumer audience while earning the trust and endorsement of key designers. They translate vision into reality and significantly influence the products their clients choose.”
Luxury as investment
At Kingsdown, the company often refers to the Sleep Triangle, which prioritizes the sleep environment, sleep hygiene, and the mattress for optimal sleep. “The mattress is the critical foundation,” says Hood. “It’s what your sleep experience is generally built upon, and it sets the stage for how you feel every day. Consumers are increasingly looking for attainable premium products that deliver measurable benefits, not just premium language. There is growing demand for science-led design, transparency, and hybrid constructions that balance comfort, support, and long-term performance.”
When you consider that the bedroom is where we spend a third of our lives, it’s hard to settle for anything less than exceptional sleep, adds E.S. Kluft’s Stowe. “A handcrafted luxury mattress is not just a purchase; it’s an investment in your health, comfort, and well-being. Each mattress is made slowly and deliberately, using high-quality materials and expert craftsmanship to ensure it performs as intended for years. It is designed to support your body, relieve pressure, and help you wake up feeling refreshed, rested, and rejuvenated every day.
“[For consumers], choosing a mattress like this isn’t indulgence. It’s giving yourself the quality of sleep you actually deserve.”
The Right Words
While the word “luxury” can denote exceptional comfort, high quality, and superior craftsmanship, for some customers, it can be off-putting, say some manufacturers.
Nick Bates says that Spring Air prefers not to use “luxury.” “[It can] signal to shoppers that they can’t afford the product,” he says. “For us, it’s about the quality and better sleep experience our customers have with our mattresses. … We prefer to describe Chattam & Wells as a quality handcrafted collection. Our goal is to convey the elevated components of our mattresses to create a genuine connection. I liken it to dining at a family-owned, farm-to-table restaurant—you’re focused on enjoying the exclusive experience of tasting a one-of-kind dish and learning how it was prepared just for you, not the price.”
While the words “luxury” and “expensive” are sometimes used interchangeably, Shifman’s Mark Quinn agrees they aren’t the same and that higher cost doesn’t always mean higher quality, especially in a day and age when automation and speed are prioritized. “A luxury mattress fulfills a desire,” he says. “It validates their expectation for exceptional craftsmanship, premium materials, and enduring quality. Luxury is a deliberate investment they choose to make in themselves.”
Adds Bates, “In the fashion world, a consumer who buys Gucci has a certain level of expectation about the product they are buying, and they take pride in investing in the product and the sense of quality it exudes. They should experience a similar feeling when it comes to shopping for a high-end, handcrafted mattress.”
