Benefits of a Direct-To-Consumer Mattress

Table of Contents

1. Cut Out the Middleman
2. Deal Directly With the Manufacturer
3. Better Selection
4. Better Perks

In the not-too-distant past, the only way to buy a mattress was to find a mattress showroom in your city or one nearby, speak to a salesperson about the pros and cons of each mattress they offered for sale, and spend the retail price to purchase it. These days, you can get the best mattress in a box in Canada or anywhere else in the world through a direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales model. You’re no longer restricted to the expensive mattresses in a brick-and-mortar store. Here’s why you might want to consider a DTC mattress.

Cut Out the Middleman

You’ve probably heard all the television and radio ads that tell you that the major mattress retailers are the best place to purchase a mattress. They play all the time, especially around holidays, when they claim to offer the lowest price on mattresses that you’ll ever find. But what they’re telling you isn’t true. These retailers buy mattresses from wholesalers and mark up the wholesale price, which is the price you pay.

The standard markup for retail stores in the mattress industry is approximately 50%. This means that if they buy a mattress at the wholesale price of $500, you will pay at least $750 for that same mattress. The more expensive the mattress, though, the more the markup. One study found that a $3,000 mattress can have a 900% markup, which is astonishing.

The good news is that you don’t have to pay those markups to get a mattress you like. Through a DTC model, you buy the mattress directly from the manufacturer, thereby essentially paying wholesale. Of course, some markup will be involved because the manufacturer has to make money, too, but it will be far lower than a retail store’s markup. Cutting out the middleman when buying a mattress can save you a ton of money.

Deal Directly With the Manufacturer

The company that makes the mattress is the expert on the mattress, not the retail salesperson. This is important to ensure you purchase the right mattress for your needs. These days, mattresses are fairly complex furniture with various features for various functions. For example, if you have back pain when you sleep, you’ll need a different type of mattress than someone who doesn’t.

The manufacturer is going to know more about their product than anyone else. A retail salesperson may know the specifications of a mattress, but they aren’t going to know how the mattress will benefit you and your specific needs. Remember that a retail salesperson is just trying to sell you a mattress. They aren’t invested in ensuring you get the right product for your needs. On the other hand, the manufacturer is in the business of selling the right mattress to you so that you’re satisfied with your purchase.

You will have questions when you’re searching for a new mattress, and you need someone who will be able to answer those questions truthfully. A salesperson can answer basic questions about the mattresses they sell, but if your questions go beyond the surface level, you’re better off dealing directly with the manufacturer.

Better Selection

While a mattress retailer that deals solely in mattresses can offer various products, they are restricted to the space they have in their showroom and warehouses. They might be able to get additional selections from their suppliers, but it’s sometimes a big hassle to get the one you want. Usually, you’re limited to the mattresses they have on display.

By going through a DTC company, you’ll have a much better selection of mattresses because they can list as many products as they want on a website. They can provide all the details and specifications of every mattress right there on the page and many companies also offer the ability to compare several mattresses side-by-side, allowing you to determine which mattress is the right one for you based on your preferred features.

DTC companies are also better able to keep their stock numbers updated so that if a mattress isn’t available, you won’t get your heart set on it, only to find out you can’t buy it. Retailers that offer multiple mattress brands often have difficulty keeping track of stock and may have products in the showroom that they aren’t able to sell. 

Better Perks

Mattress retailers can offer sales on their products and possibly free delivery, but that’s about it as far as perks go. Mattress-in-a-box companies, though, usually offer numerous perks that retailers can’t beat. For example, a DTC mattress company can offer a lengthy trial period to experience the mattress for up to 100 days (and sometimes longer) to ensure it’s the right mattress for you. A retail store may not be able to offer a trial at all unless a manufacturer also offers it.

Return policies are also more generous through a DTC mattress company. Manufacturers may take mattress returns for as long as their trial period, giving you plenty of time to ensure you are certain about your mattress purchase. Many retailers have a return policy of 30 or 60 days, which means you don’t have much time to determine if the mattress is truly the one you want.

With most products, a 30- or 60-day return policy is sufficient, but with a mattress, you have to give your body more time to respond to the surface before you can tell if it’s going to work for you. Experts recommend that you sleep on a new mattress for at least 90 days before making a final decision. DTC companies offer these lengthy trial periods, but retailers often don’t.

Conclusion

Buying a mattress is an important decision that affects the quality of sleep you get each night. Don’t leave that decision in the hands of a retail salesperson who may not care whether a mattress will help you sleep better. Plus, when you buy direct, you’ll also get a better price.

Thank you for reading!