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from the Great-question!-Let-me-sleep-on-it-and-I'll-get-back-to-you. dept.
There's an article up on Curbed which looks into the surprising number of online mattress-in-a-box companies that have been starting up recently:
Since Casper launched its "mattress in a box" concept in 2014, digital-savvy entrepreneurs have been launching new mattress brands online seemingly every week. Each offers a state-of-the-art mattress made with patented new materials or an innovative design, all compressed into a small box for easy shipping right to your doorstep.
...
It's hard to know just how many online mattress-in-a-box companies are floating around, but one such company's CEO said the number could be as high as 150. Another said the number of mattress manufacturers, which are rarely the startups actually marketing the mattresses to consumers, is close to 500.Ideally, a mattress is something you buy once every eight to 10 years, when an old one wears out or a major life event like getting married creates a new household. One can find a quality mattress for around $1,000. Given this is a relatively affordable, infrequent purchase for most households, why do so many companies see an opportunity in the online mattress space?
The article covers the reason for the explosion in the number of these companies, the economics and supply chain behind them, and the longer term survival prospects.
Originally spotted on Hackernews.
(Score: 1) by darkpixel on Tuesday April 03 2018, @07:35PM (1 child)
How in the hell does a *mattress* still cost $1,000?
The entire bed should cost less than $500 and include the box springs, mattress, and mattress topper.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 04 2018, @06:48AM
Just like anything else, WE set the price. Once we pay the asking price, its apt to ratchet up for the next guy. If no-one bites, it is "discounted".
Some businesses have seen this and made a business model of bottom-lining... you know.... Amazon, WalMart.
Those places are for the 99 percenters. The fancy department stores ( Buffums, Buttocks-Wilshire, Robinson's, Macy's, Windsor, you know the "want to be seen here and have their name on the bag" places ) are for the one percenters. Or whatever ones they can lure into the store. The rest of us can't afford the place.
They use pricing to keep the riff-raff out.