Better Sleep Council member Brent Limer looks at how the bedding industry will fare in a post-Covid world and sees an opportunity to regain sales lost to supply chain woes.
Transcript
Dave Perry
Hey, it’s Dave Perry. I’m with Brent Limer of the Better Sleep Council, and we’re getting inside the mind of today’s mattress shopper. Brent, we’ve done a lot of BSC research. What have you learned about what’s kind of inside the mind of the mattress shopper as we head into a new year?
Brent Limer
Well, I think that coming out of the pandemic into an endemic – whatever we call it – is going to change the way that they shop for mattresses. I believe that we’re going to be competing with other goods which is not great news for our industry. We just have to be able to use the research, the data, and be able to react to how we sell to the consumer because they’re going to be looking at different things.
Dave Perry
They are. You know, it’s kind of funny. There’s a positive and negative to COVID. The positive was the focus on the home. And I think ironically, as we kind of come out of COVID, my sense is consumers are going to start doing the things they used to do. Going to nice restaurants, taking cruises. Is there any way we can fight that or is it just going to be a tough fight?
Brent Limer
Well, I believe you said that through the pandemic and through some of the supply chain shortages that came with that, we lost one in ten mattress sales.
Dave Perry
That’s yeah, that’s what the research shows.
Brent Limer
So I believe what we need to do is we need to take that and use it to our advantage. Can we go back and pick up that 10% of mattress sales? How do we do that with the changing in the way that people are buying? That’s still yet to be determined. But that’s what we as an industry need to be focusing on as we do come out of this pandemic and the consumer’s mind changes.
Dave Perry
You know, one other interesting thing we’ve looked at is future shoppers, Gen Z. And we’ve had some internal discussions about how important is Gen Z. You’ve got a Gen Z consumer, is this the future consumer? What’s your take?
Brent Limer
I believe it definitely is the future consumer because the Gen Zs are just graduating, the first ones are just starting to graduate college. While there may be some debate about what money they’re spending, they’re still making spending choices. So we need to have that generation in mind as our next generation that’s going to control the buying dollars for the mattress industry.
Dave Perry
Well, I also think that the money Gen Z is spending now may continue to spend, perhaps they’ll be motivated to earn it themselves. Wouldn’t that be a great thought as parents?
Brent Limer
It’s great having a Gen Z earn their own money and not spending at Starbucks.
Dave Perry
I know that would be a good thing. Well, Brent, I have to tell you, it’s great working with you on all the BSC research. I appreciate what the BSC is doing to educate the industry about that. I know in the new year we’re going to do some new studies. Are you excited about where it’s headed?
Brent Limer
I am. I’m very excited about the new studies and the direction that we’re going as the Better Sleep Council and more things to come.
Dave Perry
More things to come. Brent, always great seeing you. Thanks, man. You too. Thank you.
