BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY
The goal of this study is to understand the details of people’s shopping, buying and receipt of mattresses in the current (COVID-19) environment.
There were 501 online surveys completed October 31 through November 5, 2020, with adults 18 years and older.
- 314 (63%) respondents had purchased a mattress within the last two months.
- 187 (37%) respondents planned to purchase a mattress within the next one to two months.
Respondents who purchased a mattress within the last two months received questions about their recent mattress purchase (Q1-Q10). Respondents who were planning to purchase a mattress in the next two months received questions about their planned upcoming mattress purchase (Q11-Q20).
Detailed findings are also included in the PowerPoint presentation report (BSC Sub-Study: Mattress Shopping Behavior During COVID-19, November 2020).
REPORT SUMMARY
This summary encompasses combined overall results from both mattress purchasers and those who plan to purchase a mattress.
- Consumers are shopping both online and in-store for mattresses and looking at an average of three to four different channels on their shopping journey.
- Shoppers who want to shop in-store are willing to travel up to 20 to 40 minutes to do so.
- Online reviews are an important part of the shopping and purchasing journey, but there is not a real distinction between the various review sources.
- About half of all mattress shoppers search for and read online reviews and visit an average of three to four review websites during their shopping journey.
- Online reviews are an important factor in the final purchase decision for all mattress shoppers, and even more so for those who purchase their mattress online.
- Consumers are more likely to purchase online, but more than one-third are still buying or planning to buy in-store because they want to try out the mattress, see it in person, etc.
- About 61% of consumers who shop online do so because of COVID-19 concerns; other reasons include a better price, it’s easier and fast/free shipping.
- The buyer journey lasts a week or less for about half of all mattress shoppers, and those who purchase in-store are more likely to have a shorter journey.
- More than half of all consumers will set up their mattress on their own.
QUESTION BY QUESTION RESULTS
Mattress Purchasers (respondents who purchased a mattress in the last 60 days)
Q1. Which of the following were part of your shopping experience BEFORE you purchased your mattress? Select all that apply.
| Looking at online retailers/websites | 56% |
| Google searches | 54% |
| Searching for and reading online reviews | 51% |
| Asking friends/family for recommendations | 44% |
| Visiting a brick-and-mortar mattress retailer | 41% |
| Visiting a brick-and-mortar retailer/department store that also sells mattresses | 39% |
| Social media | 39% |
| Reviewing miscellaneous online resources | 28% |
| Looking through miscellaneous books/magazines/pamphlets | 19% |
| Other, please specify | 2% |
Q2. Where did you go online to read reviews when you were shopping for a mattress? Select all that apply.
| Retailer websites | 60% |
| E-tailer websites (e.g., Amazon, Wayfair) | 52% |
| Mattress manufacturer websites | 54% |
| Mattress review websites (e.g., Sleepopolis, The Mattress Nerd) | 52% |
| Social media (e.g., review on a brand’s Facebook page) | 52% |
| Consumer review website (i.e., Consumer Reports) | 49% |
| General review websites (e.g., Yelp, Trustpilot) | 42% |
| Other, please specify | 1% |
Q2A. Please rank the following in order of usefulness, with 1 being the most likely to be useful, 2 being the second most likely to be useful and so on.
| Ranked #1 | Ranked #1 or #2 | ||
| Consumer review website | N=78 | 26% | 62% |
| E-tailer websites | N=82 | 33% | 59% |
| Social media | N=83 | 28% | 55% |
| Retailer websites | N=96 | 26% | 53% |
| Mattress review websites | N=83 | 29% | 52% |
| Mattress manufacturer websites | N=86 | 31% | 47% |
| General review websites | N=66 | 20% | 37% |
Q3. You said in your shopping journey you visited at least one brick-and-mortar store. How long did it take you to get to that store? (If you visited more than one store, please think of the store that was the farthest away and/or took the most time to get to.)
| 10 minutes or less | 9% |
| 10-20 minutes | 31% |
| 20-40 minutes | 40% |
| 40-60 minutes | 12% |
| More than an hour | 7% |
Q3A. You said in your shopping journey you did not visit any brick-and-mortar mattress stores. Which of the following best describe why? Check all that apply.
| COVID-19 concerns | 61% |
| Better price online | 41% |
| Lack of time to shop in person | 23% |
| Mattress store is too far away | 22% |
| Other | 3% |
| Not sure | 4% |
Q3B. You said there were not brick-and-mortar mattress stores close enough for you to shop at. How far away was the closest mattress store to you?
| Less than 20 minutes away | 29% |
| 20-40 minutes away | 39% |
| More than 40 minutes away | 29% |
| Not sure | 4% |
Q4. Where/how did you purchase your mattress?
| Online | 54% |
| In-Store | 46% |
Q5. What kind of mattress did you purchase?
| Foam mattress made without springs or coils | 48% |
| Spring mattress | 25% |
| Sleeper/sofa | 11% |
| Air/adjustable air chamber | 6% |
| Waterbed | 4% |
| Futon | 4% |
| Other | 2% |
Q6. How important were the following to your final purchase decision?
| Price | 82% |
| Free delivery | 76% |
| Long-term warranty | 74% |
| Online reviews | 73% |
| Easy returns | 71% |
| Mattress brand | 62% |
| Free setup | 54% |
| Family/friend recommendations | 54% |
| Free removal of old mattress | 53% |
| Financing | 53% |
| Free trial at home | 46% |
Q7. About how much time did your entire journey last? Think of when you first started shopping for a mattress until you purchased it. (Do not include delivery and setup.)
| 1-3 days | 21% |
| 4-7 days | 28% |
| 8-14 days | 20% |
| 2-3 weeks | 11% |
| About 1 month | 10% |
| 1-2 months | 3% |
| More than 2 months | 5% |
| Not sure/I don’t know | 2% |
Q8. How did you get your mattress home?
| Delivered | 82% |
| Picked up | 18% |
Q9. How did you receive your new mattress?
| Folded, rolled or compressed (boxed) | 64% |
| Not folded, rolled or compressed (unboxed) | 36% |
Q10. After your mattress was delivered, how did it get set up?
| Set it up on my own | 55% |
| Set it up for me | 44% |
| Other | 1% |
Plan to Purchase a Mattress (respondents who plan to purchase a mattress in the next 60 days)
Q11. You said you plan to purchase a mattress in the next one to two months. How will you shop for this mattress? Select all that apply.
| Looking at online retailers/websites | 55% |
| Google searches | 40% |
| Searching for and reading online reviews | 39% |
| Visiting a brick-and-mortar retailer/department store that also sells mattresses | 39% |
| Visiting a brick-and-mortar mattress retailer | 36% |
| Social media | 31% |
| Asking friends/family for recommendations | 26% |
| Reviewing miscellaneous online resources | 22% |
| Looking through miscellaneous books/magazines/pamphlets | 18% |
| Other, please specify | 1% |
Q12. Where will you go online to read reviews when you are shopping for a mattress? Select all that apply.
| E-tailer websites (e.g., Amazon, Wayfair) | 58% |
| Retailer websites | 52% |
| Mattress manufacturer websites | 48% |
| Consumer review website (i.e., Consumer Reports) | 48% |
| General review websites (e.g., Yelp, Trustpilot) | 45% |
| Mattress review websites (e.g., Sleepopolis, The Mattress Nerd) | 45% |
| Social media (e.g., review on a brand’s Facebook page) | 38% |
Q12A. Please rank the following in order of usefulness, with 1 being the most likely to be useful, 2 being the second most likely to be useful and so on.
| Ranked #1 | Ranked #1 or #2 | ||
| Social media | N=28 | 50% | 71% |
| Consumer review website | N=35 | 37% | 66% |
| E-tailer websites | N=42 | 36% | 65% |
| General review websites | N=33 | 18% | 48% |
| Mattress review websites | N=33 | 21% | 48% |
| Retailer websites | N=38 | 18% | 44% |
| Mattress manufacturer websites | N=35 | 31% | 44% |
Q13. You said in your shopping journey you will visit at least one brick-and-mortar store. How long do you think it will take you to get to that store? (If you plan to visit more than one store, please think of the store that is the farthest away and/or will take the most time to get to.)
| 10 minutes or less | 7% |
| 10-20 minutes | 30% |
| 20-40 minutes | 42% |
| 40-60 minutes | 15% |
| More than an hour | 5% |
| Not sure | 1% |
Q13A. You said in your shopping journey you will not visit any brick-and-mortar mattress stores. Which of the following best describe why? Check all that apply.
| COVID-19 concerns | 61% |
| Better price online | 31% |
| Lack of time to shop in person | 28% |
| Mattress store is too far away | 16% |
| Other | 2% |
| Not sure | 4% |
Q13B. You said there are not brick-and-mortar mattress stores close enough for you to shop at. How far away is the closest mattress store to you?
| Less than 20 minutes away | 36% |
| 20-40 minutes away | 29% |
| More than 40 minutes away | 14% |
| Not sure | 21% |
Q14. Where/how do you think you will purchase your mattress?
| Online | 54% |
| In-Store | 34% |
| Not sure/other | 12% |
Q15. What kind of mattress do you think you will purchase?
| Foam mattress made without springs or coils | 37% |
| Spring mattress | 29% |
| Sleeper/sofa | 11% |
| Waterbed | 6% |
| Air/adjustable air chamber | 5% |
| Futon | 3% |
| Other/not sure | 7% |
Q16. How important are the following to your final purchase decision?
| N=187 | Top 2 Box |
| Price | 84% |
| Long-term warranty | 79% |
| Free delivery | 75% |
| Online reviews | 72% |
| Easy returns | 72% |
| Mattress brand | 69% |
| Free setup | 63% |
| Free removal of old mattress | 60% |
| Free trial at home | 58% |
| Financing | 57% |
| Family/friend recommendations | 55% |
Q17. About how much time do you think your entire journey will last? Think of when you will first start shopping for a mattress until you purchase it. (Do not include delivery and setup.)
| 1-3 days | 16% |
| 4-7 days | 32% |
| 8-14 days | 17% |
| 2-3 weeks | 15% |
| About 1 month | 9% |
| 1-2 months | 4% |
| More than 2 months | 4% |
| Not sure/I don’t know | 4% |
Q18. How will you get your mattress home?
| Delivered | 78% |
| Picked up | 13% |
| Not sure/I don’t know | 9% |
Q19. How will you receive your new mattress?
| Folded, rolled or compressed (boxed) | 53% |
| Not folded, rolled or compressed (unboxed) | 24% |
| Not sure/I don’t know | 23% |
Q20. After your mattress is delivered, how will it be set up?
| Set it up on my own | 53% |
| Set it up for me | 44% |
| Not sure/I don’t know | 3% |
All Respondents – Profile Questions
| Gender | % |
| Male | 49% |
| Female | 50% |
| Other/prefer not to answer | 1% |
| Age | % |
| 18-24 | 10% |
| 25-34 | 28% |
| 35-44 | 29% |
| 45-54 | 14% |
| 55-64 | 10% |
| 65+ | 9% |
| Marital Status | % |
| Married/live together | 65% |
| Single | 26% |
| Divorced/separated/widowed | 9% |
| Education | % |
| Some college or less | 43% |
| College graduate | 34% |
| Postgraduate education | 23% |
| Ethnicity/Race | % |
| Hispanic/Latino | 10% |
| White | 78% |
| African American | 15% |
| Asian | 4% |
| Other/prefer not to answer | 6% |
| Employment | % |
| Employed full time | 63% |
| Employed part time | 11% |
| Unemployed (includes homemakers and students) | 17% |
| Retired | 9% |
| HHI | % |
| < $35,000 | 21% |
| $35,000 to $49,999 | 14% |
| $50,000 to $74,999 | 17% |
| $75,000 to $99,999 | 19% |
| $100,000+ | 28% |
Survey Details: Better Sleep Council November 2020
