A lot has changed since the Better Sleep Council launched its Inside the Mind of Today’s Mattress Consumer tracking study back in 2020. As COVID-19 concerns and restrictions continue to relax, the Q2 2021 study found that people are showing signs of returning to some pre-pandemic attitudes and behaviors. At the same time, other lockdown behaviors appear to be sticking around for now.
For example, people are more willing to shop and buy in-person, although people say they’re still more comfortable shopping online. Interest in buying trusted brands, buying brands that align with the shopper’s values, and shopping local have all made a significant comeback for bedroom product consumers. They also are more willing to try new brands and new retailers than they were earlier this year.
As expected, people’s lockdown obsession with optimizing the function and comfort of their homes has leveled off. This may be due to the fact that they are spending less time at home as people return to in-person shopping, school, work, etc.
The easing of concerns and restrictions and the return to some pre-pandemic activities may have also resulted in people starting to sleep better. The number of people who report they are sleeping poorly declined from the previous study, with more people describing their sleep as “good.” However, there’s still a large minority of people who describe their sleep as “OK” or worse. So, it’s not surprising that good sleep remains consumers’ number one priority – although for the first time since tracking began, their relationships with other people assumed equal importance. And more people say they are focused on improving their overall sleep environment in this quarter, expanding a trend initially seen earlier.
Although people say they are less anxious or concerned about their families’ health and well-being than they were earlier this year, health remains their top priority.
More details about what mattress shoppers are thinking, feeling and doing can be found in the full report here: BSC Quarterly Tracker Results: Q2 2021.
Go here to check out BSC’s Q1 2021 research to see changes in attitudes and behaviors quarter-over-quarter.
